Topical Encyclopedia
Elihu is a significant yet often overlooked figure in the Book of Job, one of the poetic books of the Old Testament. His role and speeches are found in
Job 32-37. Elihu, the son of Barakel the Buzite, is introduced as a young man who has been listening to the discourse between Job and his three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Unlike the three friends, Elihu is not mentioned at the beginning of the book, nor is he included in the final epilogue, which has led to various interpretations of his role and significance.
Background and IdentityElihu is identified as a Buzite, which suggests he is from the region of Buz, a place associated with the descendants of Nahor, Abraham's brother (
Genesis 22:21). This connection implies that Elihu is of a lineage that is familiar with the worship of the God of Israel, although he is not an Israelite himself. His youth is emphasized in the narrative, as he waits to speak out of respect for the older men, demonstrating a cultural value of deference to age and experience.
Elihu's SpeechesElihu's contribution to the dialogue in the Book of Job is unique. He speaks after Job's three friends have ceased their arguments and before God Himself addresses Job. Elihu's speeches are characterized by a passionate defense of God's justice and sovereignty. He is angered both at Job for justifying himself rather than God, and at the three friends for failing to provide a satisfactory answer to Job's suffering.
1.
Elihu's Anger and Introduction (Job 32:1-5): Elihu's anger is kindled because Job justified himself rather than God, and because the three friends had no answer yet condemned Job. He emphasizes his youth and the wisdom that comes from God, not age.
2.
Elihu's First Speech (Job 32:6-33:33): Elihu asserts that true wisdom comes from the Spirit of God, not merely from age. He challenges Job's claim of innocence and suggests that God communicates with humans in various ways, including dreams and suffering, to turn them from wrongdoing and to save them from pride.
3.
Elihu's Second Speech (Job 34): Elihu defends God's justice, arguing that God cannot do wrong. He insists that God repays a man according to his deeds and that His eyes are on the ways of man. Elihu rebukes Job for questioning God's justice.
4.
Elihu's Third Speech (Job 35): Elihu addresses Job's claim that righteousness does not benefit a person. He argues that human actions do not affect God directly but have implications for other people. Elihu emphasizes that God is exalted and beyond human comprehension.
5.
Elihu's Fourth Speech (Job 36-37): Elihu extols God's greatness and His control over nature. He describes God's use of weather and natural phenomena to demonstrate His power and to instruct humanity. Elihu calls Job to consider the wonders of God and to recognize His majesty.
Theological SignificanceElihu's speeches serve as a prelude to God's own response to Job. He emphasizes themes of divine justice, the inscrutability of God's ways, and the purpose of suffering as a means of instruction and correction. Elihu's perspective aligns with the broader biblical theme that God's ways are higher than human ways (
Isaiah 55:8-9).
Elihu's role in the narrative is complex. He is not rebuked by God, unlike Job's three friends, which suggests that his speeches contain elements of truth. However, his youthful zeal and confidence in his own understanding also serve as a reminder of the limitations of human wisdom in comprehending the fullness of God's purposes.
Key Verses·
Job 32:8 : "But there is a spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding."
·
Job 33:14 : "For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices."
·
Job 36:26 : "Indeed, God is great—beyond our knowledge; the number of His years is unsearchable."
Elihu's speeches invite readers to reflect on the nature of divine wisdom and justice, encouraging a humble acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and the limitations of human understanding.
Nave's Topical Index
Job 32:4-7Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he.
Nave's Topical Index
Library
Spurgeon -- Songs in the Night
... Dr. Robertson Nicoll says: "Our children will think more of these sermons than we
do; and ... Elihu was a wise man, exceeding wise, tho not as wise as the all-wise ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 8/spurgeon songs in the.htm
Job.
... (2) His children,. ... (7) His confidence in the goodness of God-he said to God, "Why
hast thou set me as a mark for thee?" In his reply to Elihu he doubts the ...
/.../gerberding/the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter xii job.htm
The Debt of Israel
... Seti, the Pharaoh, began the oppression of the children of Israel, but the ... Thy father's
father, thy grandsire, Elihu, younger brother to Amminadab, who was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter x the debt of.htm
Questions which Ought to be Asked
... Worse still, if I understand Elihu aright, he complained that even among the oppressed ...
when your heavenly Father has been with you"speak, ye children of God ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 26 1880/questions which ought to be.htm
The Sinner's Excuses Answered
... Elihu purposed to speak in God's behalf and ascribed righteousness to his Maker. ...
But, continued he, children do suffer for their father's sins. ...
/.../finney/sermons on gospel themes/vi the sinners excuses answered.htm
Job
... to look for the solution in the speeches of Jehovah, and that the Elihu speeches,
in ... evil savour is strange to the sons of my body," the children are regarded ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/job.htm
The Poetical Books (Including Also Ecclesiastes and Canticles).
... God permits Satan to take from the patriarch his property and his children, and
afterwards to ... Elihu, a young man who has hitherto been a silent witness of the ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxi the poetical books.htm
"For they that are after the Flesh do Mind,"
... "There is a spirit in man," saith Elihu, Job 32:8,"an immortal ... Is not this then a
wide difference between the children of this world, and the children of God? ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xviii for they that.htm
A Homily for Humble Folks
... When Elihu addressed himself to Job and the three wise men, he commended himself ...
that he was "more brutish than any man." Wisdom is justified of her children. ...
/.../spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/a homily for humble folks.htm
Church Union.
... Men like Elihu Doty and John Van Nest Talmage and Carstairs Douglas, were not ... for
the United States, Nov.12, 1845, with his own and Mr. Pohlman's children. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/viii church union.htm
Resources
What does it mean that Jesus loves the little children? | GotQuestions.orgHow should Christians discipline their children? What does the Bible say? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about disobedient children? | GotQuestions.orgChildren: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus