What Does Jeremiah 32:13 Mean in the King James?

And I charged Baruch before them, saying,

Jeremiah 32:13 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

THE KEY

The charge reaches Baruch in full view, making the visible handoff part of what the verse reveals.

THE MEANING

A responsibility can be entrusted in the open; here you see it happen before the words are fully given. The verse pauses at “saying,” leaving the charge’s content just beyond the edge and making the handoff itself visible.

THE ROOT

וָאֲצַו

va’atsav

GROWS FROM

צוה

tsavah

to command or direct

Inside “charged” sits the root ⁨צוה⁩ (tsavah, to command or direct), the seed that also forms ⁨מִצְוָה⁩ (mitzvah, a commandment). The command and its coming words belong to the same family: speech becomes direction placed in another’s keeping, with witnesses seeing the transfer.

ALSO GROWS

mitzvah: commandment or instruction

מִצְוָה

It shares the root of “charged,” linking the act of entrusting a command with the instruction itself.

tzav: command

צַו

This command form makes the root’s direct, spoken force audible in the charge given to Baruch.

בָּרוּךְ

Barukh

GROWS FROM

ברך

barak

to bless; also associated with bending the knee

Baruch means “blessed,” from ⁨ברך⁩ (barak), the root shared with ⁨בֶּרֶךְ⁩ (berekh, knee) and ⁨בְּרָכָה⁩ (berakhah, blessing). The name carries blessing into the handoff: the person receiving the charge is named in this language as others witness the moment.

ALSO GROWS

berekh: knee

בֶּרֶךְ

This branch preserves the bodily image associated with blessing in the name Baruch.

berakhah: blessing

בְּרָכָה

This branch makes explicit the blessing carried in Baruch’s name.

THE PATTERN

An entrusted word is placed in the open, where witnesses can attest to what was given.

And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

Deuteronomy 31:7 · KJVJoshua receives a charge in the sight of all Israel, making the transfer of responsibility visible.

I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.

1 Timothy 5:21 · KJVThe charge is spoken before named witnesses, placing its responsibility in the open.

Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.

Acts 20:26 · KJVThe speaker calls the listeners to witness his declaration, making spoken responsibility public.

THE THREAD

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Genesis 2:16 · KJV

The same verb root ⁨צוה⁩ (tsavah, to command) anchors both verses, and in each the command leads into “saying.” Genesis opens the command into permission to eat freely, while Jeremiah’s verse leaves its content poised for the next line; one root holds both the command and the words that unfold it.

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