Baruch son of Neriah, the loyal scribe of Jeremiah, voices a deeply personal cry of frustration and pain. Standing in the shadow of the prophet, he carries the heavy burden of delivering news of destruction and absorbs the anger of the people, yet he feels entirely disconnected from the spiritual elevation that the prophet experiences during divine revelation.
He expresses that God has added sorrow to his existing pain. Commentators offer different perspectives on this double burden. Some explain that his foundational pain comes from the shame and disgrace he suffers from the people because of his close association with Jeremiah [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ], or simply from hearing the harsh prophecies of doom. The added sorrow arises from the physical act of writing the scroll, a process that makes the impending destruction feel real and as though it has already happened [מצודת דוד]. Another perspective suggests that this added sorrow is Baruch's painful realization that, despite standing right beside the prophet during moments of divine revelation, he remains nothing more than a technical assistant and will never experience prophecy himself [מלבי״ם].
This emotional toll leads to a profound physical and mental exhaustion. His weariness stems either from his constant worry and endless sighing over the approaching disaster [מצודת דוד], or from the immense spiritual effort and preparation he underwent to make himself worthy of receiving God's word [רד״ק, מלבי״ם].
At the heart of his complaint is his inability to find peace, a state that represents the resting of the Divine Presence and the gift of prophecy. Baruch makes a painful comparison between himself and the students of previous prophets. Joshua served Moses and was granted the Holy Spirit, just as Elisha served Elijah and received the same gift. Baruch wonders why his fate differs so drastically from theirs. He feels he has inherited only the suffering and hardship of the prophetic mission, without ever receiving the light and goodness of prophecy itself [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. He is deeply saddened that, even after such great effort, he has not experienced the Divine Presence, not even by a stroke of chance [חומת אנך].
The reason he is denied this spiritual gift lies in the state of the Israelites. A prophet typically receives divine messages due to the merit of the people. Because the nation is on the edge of destruction and completely lacks merit, Baruch is ultimately prevented from receiving the divine inspiration he so desperately seeks [רד״ק].