The Verses

“Then Elihu continued and said,
‘Hear my words, you wise men,
And listen to me, you who understand.
For the ear tests words as the palate tastes food.
Let’s choose for ourselves what is right;
Let’s understand among ourselves what is good.

For Job has said, “I am righteous,
But God has taken away my right;
Should I lie about my right?
My wound is incurable, though I have done nothing wrong.”
What man is like Job,
Who drinks up derision like water,
Who goes in company with the workers of injustice,
And walks with wicked people?
For he has said, “It is of no use to a man
When he becomes friends with God.”

Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do wrong,
And from the Almighty to do injustice.
For He repays a person for his work,
And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s behavior.
God certainly will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
Who gave Him authority over the earth?
And who has laid on Him the whole world?
If He were to gather His spirit to Himself,
And withdraw His breath from all mankind,
All flesh would perish together,
And mankind would return to dust.

But if you have understanding, hear this:
Listen to the sound of my words.
Shall one who hates justice rule?
And will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
Who says to a king, “You are worthless,”
To nobles, “You are wicked”?
Who shows no partiality to princes,
Nor respects the rich over the poor,
For they all are the work of His hands?
In a moment they die,
And at midnight people are shaken and pass away,
And the powerful are taken away without a hand.

For His eyes are upon the ways of a person,
And He sees all his steps.
There is no darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of injustice can hide themselves.
For He does not need to consider a person further,
That he should go before God in judgment.
He breaks the mighty without investigation,
And sets others in their place.
Therefore He knows their deeds,
And He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
He strikes them like the wicked
In a public place,
Because they turned aside from following Him,
And had no regard for any of His ways,
So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He would hear the cry of the afflicted.

When He keeps quiet, who can condemn Him?
And when He hides His face, who can look at Him?
That is, in regard to both a nation and a person—
So that godless people would not rule,
Nor be snares for the people.

For has anyone said to God,
“I have endured punishment; I will not offend anymore;
Teach me what I do not see;
If I have done wrong, I will not do it again”?
Shall God repay on your terms, because you have rejected His judgment?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.

Men of understanding will say to me,
And a wise man who hears me,
“Job speaks without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
Oh that Job were tested to the limit,
Because he answers like sinners!
For he adds rebellion to his sin;
He claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.”’”

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Context and Meaning

In Job 34, Elihu continues his argument, defending God’s absolute justice and rebuking Job for questioning God’s fairness.

Key Themes:

1. Job’s Alleged Error: Elihu claims Job has gone too far in saying that serving God is useless and that God has wronged him (v. 5-9).
2. God is Always Just: Elihu insists that God never acts unjustly—He repays people according to their actions and never perverts justice (v. 10-15).
3. God Sees Everything: There is no darkness where the wicked can hide from God—He knows and judges all deeds (v. 21-30).
4. Job’s Need for Humility: Elihu argues that instead of demanding answers, Job should ask God to teach him what he does not understand (v. 31-33).

Elihu’s main argument is that Job has crossed a dangerous line by implying that God is unjust—something that, in Elihu’s view, is impossible.

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Reflection and Impact

Elihu’s speech raises important truths, but also some flaws in his reasoning:

• God’s Justice is Unquestionable: Elihu is right—God does not act wickedly, and He sees and judges all things (Psalm 9:7-8).
• Job’s Complaints Were Rash: Job did speak emotionally, at times questioning God’s fairness (Job 27:2).
• Suffering is Not Always Punishment: Elihu, like Job’s other friends, assumes God always repays people immediately for their deeds—but we know from Job 1 that Job’s suffering was not a punishment.

While Elihu is correct that God is always just, he fails to grasp that God’s justice is not always immediate or obvious.

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Application

• Trust That God is Always Just, Even When Life Feels Unfair: Even if we don’t see immediate justice, we must trust that God’s judgment is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4).
• Be Careful Not to Misjudge Others’ Suffering: Like Elihu, we should not assume that all suffering is punishment—God’s ways are often beyond human understanding (Isaiah 55:8-9).
• Seek Wisdom Instead of Complaining: Instead of demanding answers, approach God with a teachable heart, asking Him to reveal what we do not yet understand (James 1:5).

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Closing Thought

Elihu’s speech reminds us that God’s justice is perfect, even when we don’t understand it. However, his rigid view of divine justice leads him to misjudge Job’s suffering. Instead of assuming we know why suffering happens, we must trust God’s wisdom and seek His perspective with humility.