The babylonian talmud claims, moses wrote his own book, and the passages about balaam and job baba bathra, 14b, 15a. Job, possibly the strangest book in the bible, is based on legends going back thousands of years, and is written in a very unusual form of hebrew. Fragments of a shattered plate on which the book of job had been written sebastian zimmer. 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. Elihu starts his response by being very angry with job for justifying himself rather than god and with job s three friends because they had found no way to refute job, and yet had condemned him job 32. The book of job was also found among the dead sea scrolls. Elihu concluded that the friends had condemned job without finding an answer for him and elihu was angered against job for justifying himself rather than god. Elihu condemns job as much as he does job s other friends, but for different reasons. In the book of job of the bible why is elihu not guilty. Elihu came from the buzites who lived next to the chaldeans in northeast arabia 4.
Even when job is given opportunity to speak, elihu does not hear a cross word from him job 33. The easiest explanation for this silence is that job agreed with him. 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. Dialogue with elihu job 3237 bible commentary theology. Then elihu son of barakel the buzite, of the clan of ram, beca. But elihu son of barakel the buzite, of the family of. He was the son of barachel the buzite, the kindred of ram job 32. This summary of the book of job provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of job. Aug 30, 2012 when we concluded our readings on the book of job in the bible meditator, we wondered about the messages of elihu, the young man who listened to the debate between job and his friends. 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. Interpretations of elihu in job biblical hermeneutics.
Job 5 elihu shows how job accuses god wrongly while vindicating himself and asserts that suffering instructs us in righteousness and prevents us from sinning. One of the captains of the thousands of manasseh, 1 chronicles 12. Elihu, also spelled eliu, in the hebrew bible, a comforter of job, the biblical prototype of undeserved suffering. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it.
Jobs friend, eliphaz, came from teman, a city in edom. It is elihu and the prophets isaiah and malachi who tell us the sins of job. 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. Ampc the book of job, is categorized as one of the bible s wisdom books and chronicles the highs, lows and valleys of job. The role and character of elihu in the book of job the doc file.
Elihu is identified only as the son of barakel the buzite, of the family of ram job 32. According to elihu, the new element is that he is inspired to speak the wisdom jobs friends lacked. In job 3237 elihu offers a response to job that lifts up the lord, condemns job s three. 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. 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.
In short, elihu condemns job s friends and job s claim of being without sin, declares gods justice, condemns job s attitude toward god, and exalts gods greatness. The sunday school interpretation in sunday school as a child, the book of job. He is one of job s friends who appear after job s three friends eliphaz, bildad, and zophar came to comfort him. Because elihus speech, which appears in the book of job chapters. 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 later and offers the last and longest single speech to job. Job is lacking references to historical events and reflects a nonhebraic cultural background which little is known about. The lineage of elihu, the fourth speaker in jobs dialogue, is given in fuller detail. 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. He concludes his speech with an effort to speak on gods behalf and by ascribing righteousness to the almighty. Elihu definition, a young man who entered into discourse with job.
He is said to have descended from guz who may be from the line of abraham. How to pronounce say elihu by bible speak pronunciation. 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. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
He is said to have descended from guz who may be from the line of abraham genesis 22. Jun 20, 2016 learn more about elihu from the eastons bible dictionary. 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. We also know without a doubt by what is said in the last chapter of the book of job. Many interpreters understand elihu as no better than eliphaz, bildad, or zophar. The characters in the book of job consist of job, his wife, his three friends bildad, eliphaz, and zophar, a man named elihu, god, and angels one of whom is named satan. In addition, job repents of the very mistake both elihu and god had brought to his attentionspeaking words without knowledge job 42. Job, job, book of he is described as the son of baerachel the buzite. Copeland this study guide is from the executable outlines series, a collection of sermon outlines and bible study lessons by mark a. But the writer of the book of job is not satisfied to live that way.
The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. The idea that elihu may be the author is based on job 32. 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. After a series of traumatic lifeevents, job faces the lowest point in his life, where he encounters public shame and private familial scrutiny that undoubtedly tests his faith. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. One who is perfect in knowledge is with you, he announces job 36. 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. 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.
Interpretations of elihu in job biblical hermeneutics stack. Elihu, in the hebrew bible, a comforter of job, the biblical prototype of. Two big statements are made by the book of job by what is not said. Set in uz, an obscure land far from israel, during an unknown time period, the book of job focuses on questions about gods justice and why good people suffer. Elihu condemns job as much as he does jobs other friends, but for different reasons. The book of job discusses why god allows pain and suffering. Ancient jewish tradition credits the authorship of the book of job in the hebrew bible to moses. Introduction 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. Not much is known about job based on the masoretic text of the jewish bible.
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. Job was blameless, meaning no sin was found in him. Elihu rightly points job to gods might, saying, listen to this, job. Elihu charges job with adding to his sin by multiplying words against god without knowledge 34. Elihu then denounces the friends for their inability to defeat job job 32.
Elihu, in the hebrew bible, a comforter of job, the biblical prototype of undeserved suffering. Visit the eo web site to browse and download the material for church or personal use. Unfortunately, two erroneous interpretations of job s theses are by far the most popular. Other suggestions have included ezra, solomon, job himself, and elihu. Elihu, mentioned in this book, is one of the miserable comforters of job. But this claim is rejected by many modern scholars and instead.
Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. Unfortunately, two erroneous interpretations of jobs theses are by far the most popular. The role and character of elihu in the book of job the. Elihu so these three men stopped answering job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. The hebrew book of job is part of ketuvim writings of the jewish bible. Home content index books of the bible job elihu in job. 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. Because elihu s 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. So these three men stopped answering job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. And then he takes it upon himself to spend about five chaptersan eighth of the entire bookspouting off his thoughts. 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.
Then was kindled the wrath of elihu the son of barachel the buzite, of the kindred of ram. Because elihu s 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 arescholars consider his section to be a later interpolation, perhaps by a. Few bible characters cause such divided interpretation as jobs friend. Elihus picture of god is definitely different from the three friends.
In the book of job of the bible why is elihu not guilty before god. When the debate between job and his friends is brought to a close, elihu for the first time makes his appearance, and delivers his opinion on the points at issue job 3237 37. The bulk of elihu s speech then focuses on the justice of god, which elihu feels job has maligned. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of god to be revealed. In the book of job, it becomes clear that the first three of job s friends eliphaz, blidad, and zophar speak wrongly.
Yet even if god speaks to us through a little child, or perhaps a donkey, he always gives us enough evidence to discern his voice. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the. Job bible study outlinecontents by chapter and verse. Elihu is known as the son of barakel the buzite, of the family of ram job 32. At the same time, it also asks the question we rarely. Evidence that elihu prepared job for god the bible meditator.
Job 32 niv elihu so these three men stopped bible gateway. Blue letter bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on christ and the gospel of his peace and. Although most of the book consists of the words of job and his friends, job himself was not the author. Elihu starts his response by being very angry with job for justifying himself rather than god and with jobs three friends because they had found no way to refute job, and yet had condemned him job 32. How was what elihu said any different from what jobs other three friends.
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