Elihu

Job 32 introduces Elihu as angry both with Job, whom he believed justified himself rather than God, and with the three friends, who had condemned Job without finding an adequate answer. Because he was younger, Elihu had waited respectfully before speaking. Across chapters 32-37 he emphasizes God's greatness, justice, and freedom, argues that suffering can serve disciplinary or instructive purposes, and urges Job to consider God's works. Unlike Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, Elihu is not named in God's closing rebuke, though the text also does not explicitly endorse every part of his speeches.