Bible Person

Elihu

Meaning: he is my God himself · Male · 7 cross references

Elihu is the younger speaker who enters the book of Job after Job's three friends fall silent. He claims to defend God's justice while correcting both Job's complaints and the failures of the earlier debate. First appears in Job 32:2.1

AI summary: Elihu matters because the cross references present him as the final human voice before the Lord Himself speaks. He is angry both with Job and with the friends, and his speeches attempt to reframe suffering, discipline, and divine righteousness in more careful terms. Readers continue to debate his adequacy, but the narrative gives him substantial space at a pivotal transition. Taken together, the material presents Elihu as a serious intervening voice whose speeches prepare the way for Job's direct encounter with God.1

Central Figure

Elihu

Meaning: he is my God himself

“The son of Barachel, a Buzite” (Job 32:2), one of Job’s friends.