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David Baird
The Education of Job

Elihu's Monologues - Introduction

From out of nowhere a new character enters the picture; Elihu, son of Barachel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram. Where he came from is not entirely clear, where he went is unstated. His input is abrupt, controversial and observably different to what has gone before. In fact, a number of commentators question the validity of Elihu's contribution or declare it to be a later interpolation designed to spice up the text. It is easy to leap from the end of chapter 31 to continue at the beginning of chapter 38 with no discernible break in the story.

Opinions of the value of Elihu's comments are so diverse that they basically cancel each other out. By way of example, the next digression outlines some divergent Christadelphian viewpoints. The commentators are even more extreme.

Is Elihu really part of the overall design of the Book? I believe that there is no doubt that he is. To accept divine inspiration of the Bible and to then discredit six chapters is dangerous. Yes, he arrives abruptly, has his say and then disappears from sight. However this is not unprecedented for the Book of Job as the Satan follows the same pattern. Job's wife undergoes similar treatment even though she must have been present for the duration of the saga if only to keep Job fed.

What value does Elihu offer? He must be examined in the context of an adjudicator. He is not one of the debaters. He provides the human commentary on what has been said in chapters 3-31. Hence, unlike the others, he more readily quotes from their speeches. While Elihu gave the human estimate, it is the LORD from chapter 38 onwards who provides the divine appraisal. Elihu's opinions are not perfect but, as we will see, they are usually correct.

It should also be noted that there is no need for the LORD to comment on Elihu's perspective. The real issues revolved around the spiritual pride of Job and the dogged incorrectness of Job's three antagonists. The LORD's silence on Elihu is no more striking than the absence of any final showdown with the Satan.

There is no denying the different style exhibited by Elihu. Scholars have questioned Elihu's pomposity as well as Elihu's linguistic variations from the rest of the Book. If anything, these characteristics only confirm that Elihu was different. He is not required to talk in the same way as the others. He is not required to think as the others do. He is Elihu, a younger man who is full of opinions, and therefore entitled to respond as Elihu. The real problem lies in determining the value of Elihu's intervention.

As a general introductory overview I would suggest that Elihu's contribution:

1)	Is predominantly constructive with a view to helping Job;
2)	Is the bridge between Job's self-justification and the LORD's intervention;
3)	Is not perfect otherwise there would be no need for divine comment;
4)	Is essential for the overall flow of the Book; and
5)	Epitomises a human perspective on the issues under discussion and does so with a significant chunk of spiritual enlightenment.

However, his manner of speaking befits the youngest player in this drama and tactful diplomacy is not one of his strong points. His anger, especially in the early portion of his contribution, only inflamed his language to a degree that makes many a reader feel that he must be wrong.

The broad division of the Elihu chapters is as follows:

Chapter 32	Elihu is Introduced;
Chapter 33	Elihu's First Speech - Elihu's Address to Job
Chapter 34	Elihu's Second Speech - God Does Not Pervert Justice
Chapter 35	Elihu's Third Speech - Righteousness Does Profit
Chapters 36,37	Elihu's Fourth Speech - Adversity is Remedial and God is Omnipotent

Digression - Elihu: Mixed Emotions

Before we begin our commentary on the speeches of Elihu it is timely to state that regardless of what is written not everyone will agree. Although Elihu is undoubtedly a spectator of the speeches that precede his monologues, his abrupt insertion into the story, his undiplomatically expressed opinions and his unresolved departure from the text opens up a range of viewpoints. Elihu is an enigma. Many interested people when they learnt that I was studying the Book of Job invariably sought my opinion on Elihu or stridently expressed their own. Below is a sample of the diverse Christadelphian viewpoints on Elihu.

"Enlightened but deficient" Brother K.Papowski, Hast Thou Considered My Servant Job, K.Papowski, 1992, p1

"It is conceivable that the young man Elihu could be the satan of the book of Job ... Elihu was no friend of Job, and is not subject to ultimate redemption, as were the companions of Job" Brother G.E.Mansfield, "Logos" magazine, March 1998, p179

"I read the Book of Job through in one sitting and came to the conclusion that Elihu is a stinker" A sister in conversation with the author

"[We subscribe to the view] of Elihu filling an essential place in the book, contributing an explanation of the problem discussed that is correct and in keeping with the teaching elsewhere in the Scriptures" Brother J.Carter, "The Christadelphian" magazine, 1950, p358

"It is impossible not to feel that in these things Elihu is speaking the truth; hence he does not incur the censure of God, as the three friends do" Brother F.T.Pearce, "The Christadelphian" magazine, 1950, p357

"Without Elihu's preparation, Job might very well have found his interview with God to be catastrophic" Brother C.Tennant, The Book of Job, The Christadelphian, 1991, p30

"Whilst we may take warning to ourselves from the obstinacy which springs from the self-confidence of age in the three, we can take equal warning from the boastful presumption which springs from the self-confidence of youth in Elihu ... There is little difference in principle between the error of the three and that of Elihu" Brother R.T.Lovelock, Job, The Christadelphian, 1957, p76-77,79

"Elihu is not mentioned in the epilogue because he merits no rebuke and is not, like Job and his friends, in need of reconciliation" Brother L.G.Sargent, Ecclesiastes and Other Studies, The Christadelphian, 1965, p134

"Yes Elihu's theory was a great advance on that of the others and expressed some divine truths. This suggests he was all head and no heart, and that prejudice blinded him to the proper application of truth" Brother H.P.Mansfield in Unpublished Bible margin notes

"Elihu was quite clearly inspired by God! He spoke for God. This was quite a revelation to me when I saw it" A brother in correspondence to the author

"Elihu is in fact the mediator in the case, such as Job desired" Brother C.C.Walker, Job, The Christadelphian, (Second Edition) 1955, p17

"As typical of Christ, he was the resolution to all Job's problems. His speeches produced a true self-realization within Job, rather than compounding his agony, as the words of his friends did ... Elihu is indeed God's representative" Brother D.Heaster, Beyond Bible Basics, The Christadelphian Advancement Trust, 1999, p735