Job 34:1

Elihu’s Second Speech ¹ 

34:1 Elihu answered:

Job 36:1

Elihu’s Fourth Speech ² 

36:1 Elihu said further: ³ 

Job 32:5

32:5 But when Elihu saw ⁴  that the three men had no further reply, ⁵  he became very angry.

Job 32:2

32:2 Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry. ⁶  He was angry ⁷  with Job for justifying ⁸  himself rather than God. ⁹ 

Job 32:6

Elihu Claims Wisdom

32:6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up: ¹⁰ 

“I am young, ¹¹  but you are elderly;

that is why I was fearful, ¹² 

and afraid to explain ¹³  to you what I know.

¹ sn This speech of Elihu focuses on defending God. It can be divided into these sections: Job is irreligious (2-9), God is just (10-15), God is impartial and omniscient (16-30), Job is foolish to rebel (31-37).

² sn This very lengthy speech can be broken down into the following sections: the discipline of suffering (36:2-25), the work and wisdom of God (36:26–37:24).

³ tn The use of וַיֹּסֶף (vayyosef) is with the hendiadys construction: “and he added and said,” meaning “and he said again, further.”

³ tn The first clause beginning with a vav (ו) consecutive and the preterite can be subordinated to the next similar verb as a temporal clause.

⁴ tn Heb “that there was no reply in the mouth of the three men.”

⁴ tn The verse begins with וַיִּחַר אַף (vayyikhar ’af, “and the anger became hot”), meaning Elihu became very angry.

⁵ tn The second comment about Elihu’s anger comes right before the statement of its cause. Now the perfect verb is used: “he was angry.”

⁶ tn The explanation is the causal clause עַל־צַדְּקוֹ נַפְשׁוֹ (’al-tsaddÿqo nafsho, “because he justified himself”). It is the preposition with the Piel infinitive construct with a suffixed subjective genitive.

⁷ tc The LXX and Latin versions soften the expression slightly by saying “before God.”

⁵ tn Heb “answered and said.”

⁶ tn The text has “small in days.”

⁷ tn The verb זָחַלְתִּי (zakhalti) is found only here in the OT, but it is found in a ninth century Aramaic inscription as well as in Biblical Aramaic. It has the meaning “to be timid” (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 208).

⁸ tn The Piel infinitive with the preposition (מֵחַוֹּת, mekhavvot) means “from explaining.” The phrase is the complement: “explain” what Elihu feared.