JOB 32:1-2

Q: Who is Elihu and why hasn't he been mentioned up to now?

Up to this point in the story, the three “friends” have taken turns talking, with Job responding to each one. The third time this happens, however, Bildad only speaks for six verses and Zophar doesn't bother speaking at all. The dialogue has simply run out of steam and the various parties are merely repeating themselves.

Cycle 1                      Cycle 2                      Cycle 3

Job (ch. 3)                Job (ch. 12-14)           Job (ch. 21)

Eliphaz (ch. 4-5)     Eliphaz (ch. 15)         Eliphaz (ch. 22)

Job (ch. 6-7)            Job (ch. 16-17)         Job (ch. 23-24)

Bildad (ch. 8)          Bildad (ch. 18)         Bildad (ch. 25)

Job (ch. 9-10)          Job (ch. 19)              Job (ch. 26-?)

Zophar (ch. 11)     Zophar (ch. 20)                 ---

Elihu's speeches follow this dialogue with three cycles, in parallel to the above, addressed to both Job and his three friends.

    1                  2                  3                 4                  5                 6

Addressee     Friends             Job             Friends         Job          Friends             Job

Exhortation

to listen         32:6-10         33:1-7             34:1-4

Job's or

friends'

position      32:11-14         33:8-11         34:5-9          35:1-4

disputation or

instruction 32:15-22         33:12-30     34:10-30         35:5-15     36:1-16

Judgment on

or warning

of Job                              33:31-33     34:31-37         35:16         36:17-23

God and his

universe                                                                                      36:24-33          37:1-20

With Elihu on the scene we expect that a new perspective on the situation will be voiced since (a) he is the only one of the characters who is Jewish (32:2) and (b) he is much younger than the others (32:4-9). He has presumably kept in the background up to now in order to let his elders speak first (Job 32:4). Although many commentators feel that Elihu's arguments merely repeat those of the three friends, others allow that they do break new ground in several areas. For example, Walton (Dictionary of Old Testament Wisdom, Poetry & Writings, p. 338-9) notes that Elihu devalues traditional wisdom more, is more protective of God's justice, and is more theologically creative than Job or the three friends.

Elihu's main contribution to the discussion is that “he expands the retribution principle so that it not only describes the remedial consequences of past actions (reward for righteousness, punishment or suffering for wickedness) but he also allows that suffering may be disciplinary and thereby preventative as it functions to restrain someone from following an unacceptable course of action.”

Some scholars doubt that the Elihu speeches were in the original version of the Book of Job since Elihu is not mentioned at the start or the conclusion of the book. However, they do function as good preparation for God's speeches at the end.