What is the meaning of Job 34:36?

If only Job

- Elihu longs that Job’s case be revisited. He believes Job’s words merit fresh scrutiny (Job 34:31-33).

- Job had earlier maintained, “I am guiltless” (Job 9:21), yet God Himself had called him “blameless and upright” (Job 1:8; 2:3).

- Tension arises: Elihu questions Job’s tone, while Scripture has already affirmed Job’s integrity.

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were tried to the utmost

- Elihu thinks a deeper testing will reveal Job’s heart, echoing the refining imagery: “He knows the way I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

- Trials in God’s hand purify rather than destroy (James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7).

- Elihu’s wish, however, assumes Job still needs exposure, not just refinement.

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for answering

- Job’s replies had grown sharp: “Let God weigh me in honest scales” (Job 31:6).

- Elihu hears defiance: Job “multiplies words without knowledge” (Job 34:35).

- Yet Job’s speeches also contain faith-filled pleas (Job 13:15). Honest lament and bold questioning coexist.

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like a wicked man

- Elihu equates Job’s self-defense with the talk of rebels: “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing to delight in God’” (Job 34:9).

- Scripture warns against such cynicism (Psalm 1:1; Malachi 3:14-15).

- Still, labeling Job “wicked” oversteps what God will later confirm (Job 42:7-8).

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summary

Elihu urges maximum testing because he hears Job speaking with the tone of the ungodly. He assumes further affliction will expose hidden sin and silence irreverent words. The verse shows Elihu’s zeal for God’s honor but also his limited view of suffering. Job’s trials are already proving the genuineness of a believer’s faith, not unveiling secret wickedness.