Jobs counsel reaches a higher level with some deep insights by elihu. He is said to have descended from guz who may be from the line of abraham genesis 22. Interpretations of elihu in job biblical hermeneutics. Elihu gives several speeches that carry with them many elements of biblical wisdom, but the final wisdom to be found in this great book comes not from jobs friends or from elihu, but from god himself. To the casual observer, the book seems like a relentless rant against an unfortunate soul who was just a good guy trying to serve the lord. In sunday school as a child, the book of job was presented to me as the story of. Dec 03, 2010 the third and best understanding of elihus role in the book of job is that he helps to prepare job for gods appearance in the whirlwind. The third and best understanding of elihus role in the book of job is that he helps to prepare job for gods appearance in the whirlwind. Some of the hebrew prophets attempted to deal with this question insofar as it affected the nation as a whole, but the writer of the book of job deals with it on an individual basis. There is no question that the book was already written by the second century bce, since an aramaic translation of the book of job was discovered among the dead sea scrolls.
In the book of job, it becomes clear that the first three of job s friends eliphaz, blidad, and zophar speak wrongly. We also know without a doubt by what is said in the last chapter of the book of job. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. In the case of elihu there is more than enough evidence to recognize this young man as heaven sent. He was the son of barachel the buzite, the kindred of ram job 32. The book, in its present form, loosely divides into five parts. Even when job is given opportunity to speak, elihu does not hear a cross word from him job 33. Elihus picture of god is definitely different from the three friends. Elihu also stood up as a witness for the biblical god jah, when others would not. In the book of job of the bible why is elihu not guilty. Elihu is identified only as the son of barakel the buzite, of the family of ram job 32. And this new approach to thinking about negative happenings is symbolized in the book as elihu. First, the name elihu is a variant spelling of the name elijah, and elihus actions in the book of job suggest a strong connection to the great prophet. Elihu addresses job by name, something the three friends had not done.
The lineage of elihu, the fourth speaker in jobs dialogue, is given in fuller detail. At this point, a young bystander named elihu enters the discussion. Stedman believes that there are four reasons that elihu is an integral part in the book of job. He had been successful in silencing eliphaz, bildad, and zophar, but he does not say one word against elihu even though elihu challenged him in 33. And then he takes it upon himself to spend about five chaptersan eighth of the entire bookspouting off his thoughts.
Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. This is what job repents of at the end of the book. Aug 30, 2012 recently, i read through the book of job again and saw some things in elihus speech that i had not noticed before, which i believe provide insight into whether he was a johnthebaptistlike figure or not, as some scholars think, preparing the heart of job for an appearance from god. Elihu was the only person in the book of job to speak any length of words and be entirely without condemnation in the eyes of god, insofar as the book of job has told us. Because elihus speech, which appears in the book of job chapters. Elihu definition, a young man who entered into discourse with job. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. Also waterss discussion of elihus four speeches shows that critics are wrong in suggesting elihus view of suffering was no different from that of jobs three companions.
Because he appears, dominates all discussion and then abruptly leaves, some modern commentators think that he wasnt really part of the story and was inserted into the account later by the author or another editor. It is elihu and the prophets isaiah and malachi who tell us the sins of job. It is the spirit or character of elihu, as expressed and recorded in the book of job, that in many ways parallels the aims and the efforts of elihu books. Elihu is not out to terrorize job or overwhelm him with guilt. The book of job is, perhaps, one of the most difficult books of the bible for most christians to read. Questions about elihu in the book of job scripture zealot blog.
Dialogue with elihu job 3237 bible commentary theology. At a recent pastors conference on the book of job, a leader asked the attendees whether the speeches of elihu job 3237 should be trusted. He is said to have descended from guz who may be from the line of abraham. He isnt mentioned as one of jobs friends, but apparently he was there listening in on their conversation, because he knows all about it when he chimes in.
Dec 03, 2010 the third and best understanding of elihu s role in the book of job is that he helps to prepare job for gods appearance in the whirlwind. Oct 23, 2014 elihu, the forgotten prophet of job the book of job is one of the most important of the entire bible, and is a prerequisite to all discussions of christian theology, particularly theodicy. Elihus teaching, then, is that affliction makes a righteous. The role and character of elihu in the book of job the doc file. Oct 11, 2017 i mentioned, just briefly, the book of job, and this prophet elihu. Elihu, the forgotten prophet of job the book of job is one of the most important of the entire bible, and is a prerequisite to all discussions of christian theology, particularly theodicy. The characteristics elihu assigns to himself are indeed desirable. By james rafferty elihu exemplifies one of the major reasons why we might not listen to what someone has to say about god. Waters has made an outstanding contribution to the study of the book of job and the subject of undeserved suffering. Jul 24, 2015 at a recent pastors conference on the book of job, a leader asked the attendees whether the speeches of elihu job 3237 should be trusted, like gods job 3841, or discarded, like those of jobs three friends job 45, 8, 11, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25. But in the book of job, god never rebuked elihu, no sacrifice was commanded by god to be offered because of gods anger being kindled, only against jobs three friends.
Elihu, though young, starts to open up for us profound wisdom not yet revealed in the book of job, and begins the chapter by making it clear that he is speaking specifically to job job 33. Jun 14, 2017 a2a what is the role of elihu in the book of job. In addition, job repents of the very mistake both elihu and god had brought to his attentionspeaking words without knowledge job 42. Elihu, in the hebrew bible, a comforter of job, the biblical prototype of. Metaphysical bible dictionary 191 strictly within man, elihu represents spiritual thinking. It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the. Two big statements are made by the book of job by what is not said. Elihu, in the hebrew bible, a comforter of job, the biblical prototype of undeserved suffering.
Job 32 niv elihu so these three men stopped bible gateway. In the book of job, it becomes clear that the first three of jobs friends eliphaz, blidad, and zophar speak wrongly. Unfortunately, two erroneous interpretations of jobs theses are by far the most popular. The easiest explanation for this silence is that job agreed with him.
Hindi elihu is known as the son of barakel the buzite, of the family of ram job 32. Why wasnt elihu included in gods scolding to jobs friends. The elihu speeches1 their place and sense in the book of job ragnar andersen ragnar. Ancient jewish tradition credits the authorship of the book of job in the hebrew bible to moses. Elihu was one of jobs friendsnot one of the three who had come to comfort job at the beginning of the book, but one who arrives.
According to elihu, the new element is that he is inspired to speak the wisdom jobs friends lacked. The book of job young elihu speaks 3237 objectives in studying this section 1 to examine elihu s perspective in the debate regarding job s suffering 2 to notice how elihu appears to prepare job for what the lord will have to say summary we are now introduced to a new voice in this discussion. Interpretations of elihu in job biblical hermeneutics stack. Not only do they incur the indignation of job and his other friend elihu, but god himself rebukes them, saying to eliphaz, i am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my. This is the first mention of elihu in the book of job. In the book of job of the bible why is elihu not guilty before god. The book of job was also found among the dead sea scrolls. Evidence that elihu prepared job for god the bible meditator. The babylonian talmud claims, moses wrote his own book, and the passages about balaam and job baba bathra, 14b, 15a. Elihu believed for good reasons given in the book of job that jah should be praised for his justice and abundance of righteousness. He is one of jobs friends who appear after jobs three friends eliphaz, bildad, and zophar came to comfort him. Open gallery view the book of job has aspects that seem to predate the babylonian exile that began in 586 bce, and elements that seem to postdate the exile. First, the name elihu is a variant spelling of the name elijah, and elihu s actions in the book of job suggest a strong connection to the great prophet. Job, job, book of he is described as the son of baerachel the buzite.
Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. Not only do they incur the indignation of job and his other friend elihu, but god himself rebukes them, saying to eliphaz, i am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant job has. Elihu, the son of barachel the buzite, of the family of ram. But this claim is rejected by many modern scholars and instead. However, a lot of people who try and use the book of job to justify their accusation of god havent really read through it. It is our hope that elihu books will continue to publish what is true about the biblical god jah, his son jesus of nazareth, and those who bear witness to them for good reasons. As to satan, this foundational book of the bible teaches us that, as god elaborated on in chs 3841, god takes responsibility for everything he has made. His dialogue with job parallels the discourse between job and his friends in chapters 427. The role and character of elihu in the book of job the. In this paper i discuss whether the elihu speeches are later interpolations or original to. So these three men stopped answering job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Having remained silent up to this point because of his youth, elihu now speaks. He isnt mentioned as one of jobs friends, but apparently he was there listening in on their.
Because elihus speech, which appears in the book of job chapters 3237, differs in style from the rest of the work and because he is not mentioned elsewhere in itas the other three comforters. At a recent pastors conference on the book of job, a leader asked the attendees whether the speeches of elihu job 3237 should be trusted, like gods job 3841, or discarded, like those of jobs three friends job 45, 8, 11, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25. In this frequently discussed and often disputed book, one of the most frequently discussed and most often disputed figures is the character of elihu, a young man who suddenly appears. The book of job is widely regarded as one of the great written masterpieces of history, equally impressive for the depth of the issues it wrestles with and the great literary quality it displays. Elihu s assertion that job had claimed innocence is an overstatement.
1512 1250 1072 1206 750 1026 314 638 1347 880 667 1221 96 1311 404 16 891 683 1643 872 1320 1086 232 932 362 682 1476 220 813 793 1539 973 951 1424 1170 1221 1432 1336