Elihu
The Young but Bold Speaker
Name Information
- Meaning: "He is my God"
- Language of Origin: Hebrew
- Gender Usage: Masculine
Elihu was a younger man who spoke after Job’s three friends fell silent. Though passionate and sincere, his words mixed truth with assumption, and he claimed to speak on God’s behalf.
⏰ Patriarchal Period (uncertain)
Roles
- Younger Counselor
Relationships
- Friend: Job
Story
Listened quietly while Job’s friends debated with him.
Burned with anger at both Job’s self-justification and the friends’ inability to answer.
Argued that suffering can be a means of correction from God.
Spoke with passion until God Himself answered out of the storm.
Spiritual Significance
- Waited respectfully for elders to speak before offering his view.
- Defended God’s justice but still misapplied it to Job’s case.
- Prepared the way for God’s direct speech.
What We Can Learn
- Youth can bring insight, but must be tempered with humility.
- Passion for truth should be matched with compassion.
- We must be cautious when claiming to speak for God.
Memory Verses
It is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
— Job 32:8
Key Passages
- Job 32–37
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