Who Are You, Elihu?

In Job 32–34, a young man named Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite steps out of the crowd and breaks the silence after Job and his three friends fall silent. Elihu is angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God, and angry with the friends for condemning Job without proof. He introduces a new theology: that God speaks to man through dreams, suffering, and a mediating angel — and that suffering can be preventive rather than punitive.

Previously on Bible Book Club

In our last chapters, the debate ended, and for the first time in the book, nobody was arguing. The scene shifted from the courtroom to a man alone, lost in thought and the Wisdom Poem. Job compared the search for widom to mining but concluded it can’t be mined, bought, or found in the land of the living. It comes from “the fear of the Lord.” Then Job built his final defense by remembering the blessings of the past, lamenting the suffering of the present, and swearing a formal oath of innocence. Then he signed his name to his defense and demanded that the Almighty answer him. The words of Job were ended. He didn’t break. He had passed the test of the Accuser. And then, silence at the city gate.

Setting the Scene

The scene in this episode is the same as it was in the great friend debate. We are still in the audience with the crowd, perched on the wall at the city gate, with a front-row view of the case against Job. The defense, Job, is silent. He has declared his innocence. The prosecution, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, are silent, most likely waiting for God to strike Job for daring to speak so boldly. The crowd is on the edge of their seats, waiting, barely daring to breathe.

Why? Because Job has thrown down the gauntlet in the form of an oath. An oath is a serious thing. It is a risky strategy for attempting to get God’s attention. Would God strike him dead? But God is silent. Nothing. Just silence.

Until a young man named Elihu steps out of the crowd and breaks the silence. He has a different perspective, not all right, not all wrong, and he serves as a kind of mediator between Job and his friends. The purpose of his dialogue is to prepare the way for God to speak. His voice is the final proof that no human, young or old, friend or stranger can fully explain the ways of God.

Elihu’s Speech Part 1: Elihu Wants to Testify

Job 32:1–22

1 So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.[a] 4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: “I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know. 7 I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’ 8 But it is the spirit[b] in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding. 9 It is not only the old[c] who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.

10 “Therefore I say: Listen to me; I too will tell you what I know. 11 I waited while you spoke, I listened to your reasoning; while you were searching for words, 12 I gave you my full attention. But not one of you has proved Job wrong; none of you has answered his arguments. 13 Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; let God, not a man, refute him.’ 14 But Job has not marshaled his words against me, and I will not answer him with your arguments.

15 “They are dismayed and have no more to say; words have failed them. 16 Must I wait, now that they are silent, now that they stand there with no reply? 17 I too will have my say; I too will tell what I know. 18 For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me; 19 inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst. 20 I must speak and find relief; I must open my lips and reply. 21 I will show no partiality, nor will I flatter anyone; 22 for if I were skilled in flattery, my Maker would soon take me away.

Who is Elihu in the Book of Job?

Elihu is young, the son of Barakel the Buzite. A “Buzite” can be traced back to Genesis 22:20–21 where Buz is listed as the son of Nahor who was Abraham’s brother. So Elihu comes from Abraham’s extended family but through the Nahor branch, not the covenant line through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So Elihu is a cousin of the family, so to speak, close enough to share the theological heritage but not part of the chosen line of Israel. He is also of the family of Ram, most likely a clan within the Nahor line. It is not thought to be the Ram in the book of Ruth.

Although he is not an Israelite, his name indicates he is a follower of God. Elihu means “He is my God” and is of Hebrew origin, built around El, the name for God. And “Barakel,” his father’s name, means “God has blessed.” So both father and son carry names that profess faith in God. Therefore, this is a family that knows the God of Abraham, unlike Job’s three friends, who come from more distant, non-Abrahamic regions (Teman, Shuah, Naamah). Because Elihu is not an outsider to the faith, that may explain why his speeches are more insightful than Job’s friends’.

Why is Elihu angry with Job and his three friends?

Elihu is angry for two reasons:

• He is angry with Job for his pride in justifying himself rather than God.
• He is angry at Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar for their incompetence. They condemned Job as guilty but can’t prove it.

Job claims that God is wrong, the friends claimed that Job is wrong, and neither have proved anything. Elihu’s anger is mentioned three times in these five verses. It’s as if the young Elihu’s anger has been heating to a boiling point through 31 chapters of rhetoric, and now that they are all silent he is steaming.

Max Lucado portrays a great image of what I imagine Elihu to be, he said:

Elihu is like a young minister fresh out of seminary who hasn’t lived long enough to be cynical and hasn’t hurt enough to be quiet. He paces back and forth with his Bible under his arm and his finger punching the air.

Elihu is going to preach. Some theologians like it and some don’t. I have a feeling Job does not.

Why did Elihu wait until Chapter 32 to begin speaking?

Elihu does not speak until Chapter 32 because he has been patient, waiting for the wisdom of the elders to speak. But now he makes his case for why he should speak:

• The spirit in him compels him to speak. In other words, it’s not years that make a person wise. It’s the spirit of God in a person that gives understanding.
• He is full of words, and the spirit within him compels him. His claim to be compelled by the spirit is pretty bold. He’s saying he has something Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar do not…spiritual insight. Regardless, we will allow it, as we cannot judge whether the spirit is in him.
• He is impartial, as he is not a friend and has not been attacked.

So, what is the consensus on Elihu? Is he a friend or a foe? You can judge for yourself as we go through.

What is the debate among commentators regarding Elihu’s character?

The commentators are divided on Elihu’s character. The positive camp including Calvin, Henry, and CS Lewis argue Elihu is a “John the Baptist” figure preparing Job for God’s appearance by correcting his pride without resorting to the flawed “Retribution Principle” his three friends used. The Negative camp including St Augustine and Thomas Aquinas are more suspicious of his character, finding Elihu arrogant. However, they acknowledged his theology is better than Job’s friends’.

In the next 4 parts of Elihu’s speech, he will refute some of the accusations Job made against God. Job claimed God is:

• Silent and will not answer him.
• Not just and Job wants to plead his case.
• Does not care and has turned on him.
• Is too powerful. Elihu agrees.

Elihu’s Speech Part 2: God Is Not Silent, He Speaks to Us

Job 33:1–33

1 “But now, Job, listen to my words; pay attention to everything I say. 2 I am about to open my mouth; my words are on the tip of my tongue. 3 My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know. 4 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5 Answer me then, if you can; stand up and argue your case before me. 6 I am the same as you in God’s sight; I too am a piece of clay. 7 No fear of me should alarm you, nor should my hand be heavy on you.

8 “But you have said in my hearing— I heard the very words— 9 ‘I am pure, I have done no wrong; I am clean and free from sin. 10 Yet God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy. 11 He fastens my feet in shackles; he keeps close watch on all my paths.’ 12 “But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than any mortal. 13 Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one’s words[a]? 14 For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, 16 he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, 17 to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, 18 to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.[b]

19 “Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in their bones, 20 so that their body finds food repulsive and their soul loathes the choicest meal. 21 Their flesh wastes away to nothing, and their bones, once hidden, now stick out. 22 They draw near to the pit, and their life to the messengers of death.[c] 23 Yet if there is an angel at their side, a messenger, one out of a thousand, sent to tell them how to be upright, 24 and he is gracious to that person and says to God, ‘Spare them from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for them— 25 let their flesh be renewed like a child’s; let them be restored as in the days of their youth’— 26 then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God’s face and shout for joy; he will restore them to full well-being. 27 And they will go to others and say, ‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right, but I did not get what I deserved. 28 God has delivered me from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’

29 “God does all these things to a person— twice, even three times— 30 to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them.

31 “Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. 32 If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want to vindicate you. 33 But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Why is Elihu’s use of Job’s name significant in the text?

The use of Job’s name is the first obvious change in the speeches, because Elihu is making it personal. Throughout the entire three-round debate, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar never once addressed Job by name. They spoke through implication and used veiled descriptions everyone knew were about Job. But they never looked Job in the eye and said, “I am talking about you.”

Elihu uses Job’s name repeatedly. On the one hand, he is being transparent. He’s talking to Job about Job and isn’t trying to hide it. On the other hand, in ancient culture, it is disrespectful for a young, unknown man to address a man of Job’s standing by his first name.

At this point, we don’t know what to make of Elihu. Is he justified in his confidence, or is he arrogant? He says he is upright, sincere, and will cause Job no fear. But does Job believe him? Is he rolling his eyes? Or is he cringing in expectation of another unsympathetic lecture?

Job has claimed many times that God is silent. In Chapter 13 verse 24 he even says, “Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy?” Elihu tells Job he has heard Job’s words. Then Elihu states his thesis: God is greater than any mortal and speaks to man in different ways.

What are the different ways God speaks to man according to Elihu?

Elihu says God speaks to man through dreams, visions, suffering, and through an angel. And his purpose is to turn people from wrongdoing. Elihu is introducing a valid insight. There can be a purpose to suffering other than punishment.

How does Elihu’s perspective on suffering differ from the three friends?

Job’s friends argued the Retribution Principle, that Job is suffering because he has sinned. Elihu argues that God permits suffering because it keeps us from sin. In other words, suffering can be preventive rather than punitive. The Apostle Paul saw his “thorn in his flesh” as a preventative from conceit:

1 Corinthians 12:7 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

According to Paul, so much of what Job is suffering—insult, hardship, persecution, and physical weakness—are the very things that make one strong. God can use adversity to get our attention!

Another insight from Elihu is that God uses visions, dreams, and suffering to deliver people from the “pit.” He mentions the word pit five times. He means death. The apostle James commands us to turn sinners from death:

James 5:19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Lastly, Elihu mentions that God speaks through a messenger or angel. This is very interesting.

How does Elihu describe the role of a messenger or angel?

Elihu describes the role of messenger or angel as mediating between God and the suffering person and providing a ransom, rescuing them from death. Elihu implies that sometimes an angel may plead your case and bring you back from the pit by telling you what to do and interceding on your behalf.

Sounds a lot like Christ to me! Whether Elihu knows it or not, he just described exactly what Jesus does.

Bible Bender: Elihu is Pointing Toward Jesus

Job has been crying out for exactly this figure. In Chapter 9, he begged for a mediator between himself and God. In Chapter 16, he spoke of a witness in heaven, an advocate on high. In Chapter 19, he declared, “My Redeemer lives.” And now Elihu, without realizing it, describes the very person Job yearns for.

This passage is where Elihu is at his best. He is offering a theology of suffering as God’s redirection rather than punishment, and he is unknowingly pointing toward the mediator Job has been crying out for since Chapter 9. The challenge is that Elihu delivers this beautiful theology while also subtly misrepresenting what Job actually said. That’s what the three friends did, and it must have been offensive to Job.

How This Makes Job Feel

Elihu makes a case that God is not silent, He speaks to us. But, with all that Job has lost, he most likely is not feeling like he has been spared from the “pit.” He feels like he is living in the pit. On top of that, Elihu isn’t listening carefully enough to all the dialogue and makes some false claims about Job that certainly must make Job bristle. Job never said he is free of sin; he said he is not wicked, had not lied, etc. So what was Job thinking? What could God possibly be speaking to him about? Where was the lesson for him?

Our Takeaway

The point we can take away in this speech is that not all suffering is punishment for sin. In fact, sometimes suffering is caused by human error. A person fainting while driving a car is not a sin or a punishment from God. Can God use it to create an awareness in the person that they have an illness? Yes. Can God use it to develop a strength through suffering, or an ongoing thorn in the flesh? Yes, he can. I am that person.

At the age of 17, I ended up in the ICU for a week because I fainted while driving and drove off the road. Weeks later, I had a cardiac arrest and became a believer. My malfunctioning heart has been the thorn in my flesh that saved my life.

Elihu’s Speech Part 3: God Is Not Unjust

Job 34:1–37

1 Then Elihu said: 2 “Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you men of learning. 3 For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food. 4 Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.

5 “Job says, ‘I am innocent, but God denies me justice. 6 Although I am right, I am considered a liar; although I am guiltless, his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’ 7 Is there anyone like Job, who drinks scorn like water? 8 He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with the wicked. 9 For he says, ‘There is no profit in trying to please God.’

10 “So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong. 11 He repays everyone for what they have done; he brings on them what their conduct deserves. 12 It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice. 13 Who appointed him over the earth? Who put him in charge of the whole world? 14 If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit[a] and breath, 15 all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.

16 “If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say. 17 Can someone who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One? 18 Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ 19 who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? 20 They die in an instant, in the middle of the night; the people are shaken and they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.

21 “His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step. 22 There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide. 23 God has no need to examine people further, that they should come before him for judgment. 24 Without inquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place. 25 Because he takes note of their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed. 26 He punishes them for their wickedness where everyone can see them, 27 because they turned from following him and had no regard for any of his ways. 28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he heard the cry of the needy. 29 But if he remains silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he is over individual and nation alike, 30 to keep the godless from ruling, from laying snares for the people.

31 “Suppose someone says to God, ‘I am guilty but will offend no more. 32 Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’ 33 Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know.

34 “Men of understanding declare, wise men who hear me say to me, 35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’ 36 Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man! 37 To his sin he adds rebellion; scornfully he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.”

What phrase does Elihu repeat often in Job 34?

Elihu says “listen to me,” a lot. In fact, he says it, or something similar, about 11 times. So we can’t help but wonder, was he losing the audience’s attention? On top of that, he said in Chapter 32 that he wouldn’t use flattery, but he calls the audience men of learning or wise men.

Then he includes himself in the group saying, “Let us discern.” Is he saying he is one of the learned men? That arrogance just keeps popping up.

In Job’s dialogue with his three friends, he often questioned God’s justice. In Chapter 19, verse 6, Job said:

Then know that God has wronged me and drawn His net around me. Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.

What arguments does Elihu use to prove God is not unjust?

Elihu uses three main points to vehemently argue that God is just and has not wronged Job:

• If God is unjust, He is not God. God can do no wrong. Therefore, how could He be unjust? God is the source of life. He has no motive to be unjust.
• If God is unjust, no government would exist. If man can execute justice on earth, can’t God in heaven?
• If God is unjust, He must not know what is going on in the world. But God is omniscient. He sees everything. To be unjust requires God to be ignorant or unable.

Elihu is responding to Job’s words but missing Job’s heart. Job spoke out of pain, because his experience doesn’t match up to what he knows about God. Elihu answers with a lecture. That’s a pattern that may be familiar to many of us. Someone quotes our worst moment back to us, treating it as our final position when really it was a cry for help.

Elihu’s Concluding Remarks

Elihu concludes his defense of God’s justice with a hypothetical example, and here again Elihu is doing what he said he wouldn’t. In Chapter 33, he said:

No fear of me should alarm you, nor should my hand be heavy on you…If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want to vindicate you.

Elihu says he wants to vindicate, or justify, Job. Not condemn. Not correct. Yet here he accuses Job of:

• speaking without knowledge.
• needing to be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man.
• adding rebellion to his sin.

Elihu has broken his promise to Job. He is condemning and correcting. Haven’t we seen this before? Perhaps Elihu meant well when he began. He really did want to help Job. But the longer he talked, the more frustrated he got that Job wouldn’t concede the point. And frustration turns to anger. Anger turns to accusation. Which is exactly what happened to the three friends in their three rounds of speeches.

Poor Job, his suffering never ends. What is he feeling? Is he mad, defeated, curled up in a ball on the floor? How does the crowd react? Are they cheering Elihu on, or are they just over watching Job get pummeled?

What about Satan? What is his reaction? That one we know for sure, because Elihu is doing Satan’s work without even knowing it, so he is happy.

How does Elihu’s request for Job to be “tested” mirror Satan’s words?

When Elihu says Job needs to be tested to the utmost, he is restating Satan’s words from that scene in the heavenly courtroom. Satan accused that if Job were to be tested he would fail. So when Elihu says he desires to justify Job, he ends up asking for the exact same thing as the Accuser: That Job be tested to the utmost.

Ouch. Poor Job. He has been tested to the utmost. But there is still more. In our next episode, Elihu will get his final words in before the only One who really knows what is going on speaks, at last.

Group Discussion Questions for Job 32–34

• Elihu says God speaks to us through dreams, suffering, and messengers. Has there been a moment in your life when you recognized God might have been speaking to you through a difficult experience?
• Elihu started out wanting to vindicate Job, but the longer he spoke the more he ended up condemning him. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you began with good intentions but frustration caused you to say something you regret?
• Elihu’s insight that suffering can be preventive rather than punitive is a powerful idea. Is there a “thorn in your flesh” in your own life that, looking back, you can see God may have used to redirect or protect you?

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