{
  "id": "dict_003966",
  "term": "Neriah",
  "slug": "neriah",
  "letter": "N",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Neriah is a biblical man best known as the father of Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, and of Seraiah. Scripture mentions him briefly in the historical setting of Jeremiah.",
  "simple_one_line": "Neriah is the father of Baruch and Seraiah in the book of Jeremiah.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical proper name: Neriah, father of Baruch and Seraiah, mentioned in Jeremiah.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Baruch",
    "Jeremiah",
    "Seraiah",
    "Jeremiah, Book of",
    "Exile, Babylonian"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Baruch, son of Neriah",
    "Seraiah",
    "Jeremiah’s scroll",
    "Judah, kingdom of"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Neriah is a biblical proper name found in the book of Jeremiah. He is known chiefly as the father of Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, and of Seraiah, and he appears only in brief historical notices.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A biblical father named in Jeremiah, best known as Baruch’s father.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Proper name, not a doctrine or theological term",
    "Father of Baruch and Seraiah",
    "Appears in the Jeremiah narrative",
    "Mentioned only briefly in Scripture"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Neriah appears in Scripture as the father of Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, and of Seraiah. His name belongs to the historical narrative surrounding the prophet Jeremiah rather than to a doctrinal or theological concept.",
  "description_academic_full": "Neriah is a personal name in the Old Testament, most notably identifying the father of Baruch son of Neriah, who served as Jeremiah’s scribe, and of Seraiah. The biblical references to Neriah are brief and incidental, and Scripture does not develop his name into a theological concept or doctrine. He is therefore best treated as a biblical person entry rather than as a theological term.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Neriah is mentioned in the Jeremiah narratives connected with the prophet’s ministry, the dictation of Jeremiah’s scroll, and events surrounding Judah’s final years before exile. His significance in the biblical record comes through his sons, especially Baruch, who played an important role in preserving Jeremiah’s words.",
  "background_historical_context": "The references to Neriah place him in the late monarchy period of Judah, during the political and spiritual crisis that culminated in Jerusalem’s fall and the Babylonian exile. Scripture does not provide biographical details about Neriah himself, but his family appears within the administrative and prophetic setting of that era.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In ancient Israel, a father’s name often served to identify a person within a wider family and tribal setting. Neriah’s role in the text is genealogical and historical rather than theological, helping locate Baruch and Seraiah within Jeremiah’s world.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Jeremiah 32:12",
    "Jeremiah 36:4",
    "Jeremiah 36:32",
    "Jeremiah 43:3",
    "Jeremiah 45:1",
    "Jeremiah 51:59"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "The entry is supported by the passages that name Baruch as son of Neriah and mention Seraiah as his brother. No additional doctrinal texts are needed because Neriah is a person entry, not a concept entry."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The Hebrew form is a personal name rendered in English as Neriah. The name functions as a family identifier rather than as a theological term.",
  "theological_significance": "Neriah has no direct doctrinal significance in Scripture. His importance is indirect: he is part of the historical and family context through which God preserved Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry and message.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "This is a straightforward historical-person entry. The biblical text identifies Neriah as a real individual within Israel’s covenant history, but it does not present him as an abstract idea or theological category.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not overstate what Scripture says about Neriah. The Bible gives only limited information about him, so conclusions about his character, influence, or spirituality should remain modest.",
  "major_views_note": "There is no major interpretive debate about Neriah as a biblical person; the main issue is simply recognizing that the term is a proper name rather than a theological concept.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should not be used to build doctrine. Its value is historical and contextual, supporting understanding of Jeremiah’s ministry and the people connected with it.",
  "practical_significance": "Neriah reminds readers that biblical history often includes otherwise unknown people whose faithfulness is seen in the larger account of God’s work. His name also helps anchor Jeremiah’s message in real historical circumstances.",
  "meta_description": "Neriah is a biblical proper name in Jeremiah, best known as the father of Baruch and Seraiah.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/neriah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/neriah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}