Job 32 Study Notes

32:1 Job’s companions are not called “friends” (2:11; 19:21; 42:10) here but these three men.

32:2-3 The names Elihu (“He Is My God”) and Barachel (“God Has Blessed”) testify to vital faith. The names Elihu and Ram appear in connection with the later family of David (Ru 4:19; 1Ch 27:18). Buz was the brother of Uz and Abraham’s nephew (Gn 22:20-21). Job was from the land of Uz (Jb 1:1). Elihu was angry because he perceived that Job had argued for his own righteousness, implying that God was, therefore, unjust (see 40:8), and because Job’s friends had condemned him without getting to the essential issue in his case.

32:4-5 For the fourth time we are told that Elihu was angry.

32:6-10 Elihu’s back-to-back speeches are the longest in the book. In fact, “Elihu’s speeches are longer than 12 other OT books and 17 of the 27 NT books” (Robert Alden, Job, New American Commentary). No one answered Elihu. Though he was young, Elihu maintained that wisdom was not the exclusive possession of the old but was available to everyone. God created man in his image (Gn 1:27), imparting his breath to him (Gn 2:7). Thus man is a rational creature (Jb 38:36; Pr 16:9), capable of acquiring vast knowledge (1Kg 4:29-34). Elihu implied that God had so enlightened his spirit that he must speak (Jb 32:17-20).

32:11-12 Elihu prefaced his remarks by noting that he had given due deference to his elders.

32:13-14 Elihu agreed with Job (12:20; 13:12-19; 17:10; 21:34) that the friends had failed to demonstrate their claim to represent godly instruction (4:12-16) or traditional wisdom (15:17-19). Job would find Elihu a tougher opponent who would not follow the friends’ line of argumentation.

32:15-17 Elihu noted the friends’ dismay at exhausting their arguments against Job without refuting him successfully. Since they no longer had anything to say, Elihu would take up the controversy.

32:18 Elihu is noted for being a man of many words.

32:19-20 Elihu’s heart (inner being; lit “belly”) was so full that it was about to burst. New wine was normally put into new wineskins, which would expand with the fermentation process (Mt 9:17). If the wineskin was closed off without proper ventilation, it could burst.

32:21-22 Elihu was under divine obligation to speak his mind impartially. The phrase be partial is literally “lift up the face.” This idiom is used of showing respect (Gn 32:21) or partiality (Pr 18:5). The Bible condemns showing favoritism (Pr 28:21), especially in rendering judicial decisions (Lv 19:15) or by giving special treatment to prominent individuals (Jms 2:1-4). Elihu would not use flattering speech (Ps 12:1-3; Pr 28:23) by making reference to anyone’s title.