Job 34 Study Notes: Elihu Defends God’s Justice
Elihu calls on wise listeners to judge Job’s claim that God has treated him unjustly. He insists that God never does wrong, that all life depends on Him, and that He judges kings and the powerful without favoritism and sees every deed, then accuses Job of speaking without insight and compounding his sin with rebellion.
General
What final charge does Elihu bring against Job at the end of chapter 34 (Job 34:35-37)?
Answer: That Job speaks without insight and adds rebellion to sin
Elihu asks whether God should reward Job on Job’s own terms, when Job has rejected Him (34:33). He says sensible men would agree that Job talks without knowledge or insight (34:34-35), and he wishes Job could be tested to the limit for answering like the wicked (34:36). His final charge is that Job piles rebellion on top of his sin, claps at them, and piles up words against God (34:37). The LORD Himself later asks who darkens His counsel with words lacking knowledge (38:2), and Job admits he spoke of things he did not understand (42:3). Yet the LORD also tells the friends that Job, unlike them, spoke about Him accurately (42:7).
- Job 34:33-35 (BSB)“Should God repay you on your own terms when you have disavowed Him? You must choose, not I; so tell me what you know. Men of understanding will declare to me, and the wise men who hear me will say: ‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’”Elihu says God will not repay on Job’s terms and that Job lacks insight.
- Job 34:36-37 (BSB)“If only Job were tried to the utmost for answering like a wicked man. For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.””Elihu wishes Job tested to the limit and charges him with rebellion.
- Job 38:2 (BSB)““Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge?”The LORD later asks who obscures His counsel by words without knowledge.
- Job 42:3 (BSB)“You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”Job admits he spoke of things he did not understand.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD says Job, unlike the friends, spoke of Him accurately.
Theological
With what accusation does Elihu conclude chapter 34 (Job 34:35-37)?
Answer: That Job speaks without insight and adds rebellion to sin
Elihu asks whether God should repay on Job’s terms after Job has spurned Him (34:33), claims the support of wise hearers that Job talks ignorantly and without insight (34:34-35), and wishes Job tested to the limit for replying as the wicked do (34:36). His culminating charge is that Job adds rebellion to sin, claps at his hearers, and multiplies words against God (34:37). The LORD will indeed confront Job for obscuring His counsel without knowledge (38:2), and Job will confess speaking of matters beyond his understanding (42:3). Yet the LORD also tells the friends that Job, unlike them, spoke of Him accurately (42:7).
- Job 34:33-35 (BSB)“Should God repay you on your own terms when you have disavowed Him? You must choose, not I; so tell me what you know. Men of understanding will declare to me, and the wise men who hear me will say: ‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’”Elihu says God will not repay on Job’s terms and that Job lacks insight.
- Job 34:36-37 (BSB)“If only Job were tried to the utmost for answering like a wicked man. For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.””Elihu wishes Job tested to the limit and charges him with rebellion.
- Job 38:2 (BSB)““Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge?”The LORD later asks who obscures His counsel by words without knowledge.
- Job 42:3 (BSB)“You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”Job admits he spoke of things he did not understand.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD says Job, unlike the friends, spoke of Him accurately.
General
Elihu compares judging words by hearing to judging food by taste (Job 34:3). Who had used a similar saying earlier in the book?
Answer: Job himself, in his reply after Zophar’s first speech
Elihu turns to the wise men listening and asks them to hear him (34:2). He says that the ear judges words in the same way the mouth judges food, and he invites them to decide together what is right and good (34:3-4). Job had used nearly the same saying in his answer to Zophar (12:11), so Elihu takes up one of Job’s own principles. Scripture elsewhere encourages testing what we hear and keeping hold of whatever proves good (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and it describes the mature as trained to tell good from evil (Hebrews 5:14).
- Job 34:2-4 (BSB)““Hear my words, O wise men; give ear to me, O men of learning. For the ear tests words as the mouth tastes food. Let us choose for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.”Elihu calls the wise to test his words and choose what is right.
- Job 12:11 (BSB)“Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes its food?”Job had used the same comparison of ear and tongue earlier in the book.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (BSB)“but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.”Believers are told to test all things and hold fast to what is good.
- Hebrews 5:14 (BSB)“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.”The mature are trained to distinguish good from evil.
Theological
Elihu’s maxim about the ear testing words as the palate tastes food (Job 34:3) echoes an earlier speaker. Whom?
Answer: Job himself, in his reply after Zophar’s first speech
Elihu addresses the wise among his hearers (34:2) and appeals to a proverb comparing the hearing of words with the tasting of food, so let them discern together what is right (34:3-4). The saying is Job’s own, from his reply to Zophar (12:11), and Elihu turns it into a call for shared judgment on Job’s case. Scripture elsewhere commends such testing of words (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and describes maturity as senses trained to discern good from evil (Hebrews 5:14).
- Job 34:2-4 (BSB)““Hear my words, O wise men; give ear to me, O men of learning. For the ear tests words as the mouth tastes food. Let us choose for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.”Elihu calls the wise to test his words and choose what is right.
- Job 12:11 (BSB)“Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes its food?”Job had used the same comparison of ear and tongue earlier in the book.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (BSB)“but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.”Believers are told to test all things and hold fast to what is good.
- Hebrews 5:14 (BSB)“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.”The mature are trained to distinguish good from evil.
General
Which claim does Elihu attribute to Job in Job 34:5-6?
Answer: That he is in the right, but God has denied him justice
Elihu tells his listeners that Job claims to be in the right, says God has taken away his justice, and insists his wound cannot be healed though he has done no wrong (34:5-6). Job had in fact sworn by God who had deprived him of justice (27:2). Elihu then goes further, accusing Job of soaking up scorn, siding with evildoers, and saying there is no gain in delighting in God (34:7-9). Job’s recorded words do not include that last saying. The nearest are his claim that God destroys the innocent along with the guilty (9:22) and the question of what is gained by prayer, which he quoted as something the wicked say (21:15).
- Job 34:5-6 (BSB)“For Job has declared, ‘I am righteous, yet God has deprived me of justice. Would I lie about my case? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’”Elihu restates Job’s claim of innocence and his complaint of injustice.
- Job 34:7-9 (BSB)“What man is like Job, who drinks up derision like water? He keeps company with evildoers and walks with wicked men. For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should delight in God.’”Elihu adds his own accusations against Job.
- Job 27:2 (BSB)““As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice—the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—”Job had sworn by God who had deprived him of justice.
- Job 9:22 (BSB)“It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’”Job had said God destroys both the blameless and the wicked.
- Job 21:15 (BSB)“Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’”In Job’s speech, the wicked ask what they would gain by praying to the Almighty.
Theological
How does Elihu summarize Job’s position in Job 34:5-6?
Answer: That he is in the right, but God has denied him justice
Elihu sums up Job’s case: Job claims righteousness, says God has stripped him of justice, and protests an incurable wound despite his innocence (34:5-6). The first part closely echoes Job’s oath by the God who had deprived him of justice (27:2). Elihu then sharpens the charge, accusing Job of drinking scorn, siding with evildoers, and denying any profit in delighting in God (34:7-9). Job’s recorded words do not contain that final saying: the closest are his claim that God destroys the innocent along with the guilty (9:22) and the question of what prayer gains, which appears in his speech as the words of the wicked (21:15).
- Job 34:5-6 (BSB)“For Job has declared, ‘I am righteous, yet God has deprived me of justice. Would I lie about my case? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’”Elihu restates Job’s claim of innocence and his complaint of injustice.
- Job 34:7-9 (BSB)“What man is like Job, who drinks up derision like water? He keeps company with evildoers and walks with wicked men. For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should delight in God.’”Elihu adds his own accusations against Job.
- Job 27:2 (BSB)““As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice—the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—”Job had sworn by God who had deprived him of justice.
- Job 9:22 (BSB)“It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’”Job had said God destroys both the blameless and the wicked.
- Job 21:15 (BSB)“Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’”In Job’s speech, the wicked ask what they would gain by praying to the Almighty.
General
What does Elihu firmly insist about God in Job 34:10-12?
Answer: God never does wrong and never twists what is just
Elihu calls on men of understanding to listen and declares that it is unthinkable for God to do evil or for the Almighty to treat anyone unjustly (34:10). He adds that God repays each person according to what he has done (34:11), and He never bends justice (34:12). Scripture elsewhere affirms this truth: all God’s ways are just and He is without injustice (Deuteronomy 32:4), the One who judges the whole earth does right (Genesis 18:25), and He will repay every person for what he has done (Romans 2:6). Bildad had asked a similar question (8:3). Yet the opening chapters show that Job’s own trial began for a reason hidden from him (2:3).
- Job 34:10-12 (BSB)“Therefore listen to me, O men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wrong, and from the Almighty to act unjustly. For according to a man’s deeds He repays him; according to a man’s ways He brings consequences. Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly, and the Almighty does not pervert justice.”Elihu insists that God never acts wickedly or perverts justice.
- Deuteronomy 32:4 (BSB)“He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.”Scripture elsewhere declares that all God’s ways are just.
- Genesis 18:25 (BSB)“Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?””Abraham affirms that the Judge of all the earth will do what is right.
- Romans 2:6 (BSB)“God “will repay each one according to his deeds.””Paul affirms that God repays each one according to his deeds.
- Job 2:3 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.””In the opening scene the LORD tells Satan that Job keeps his integrity, though Satan incited Him to ruin Job without cause.
Theological
What central claim about God does Elihu press in Job 34:10-12?
Answer: God never does wrong and never twists what is just
Elihu’s thesis is that wickedness and injustice are unthinkable in God (34:10): He renders to each what his conduct deserves (34:11) and never distorts what is right (34:12). The truth itself is affirmed elsewhere in Scripture: His every way is just and He is without injustice (Deuteronomy 32:4), the One who judges the whole earth does right (Genesis 18:25), and He will repay each for what he has done (Romans 2:6). Bildad had made a similar appeal (8:3). Yet the opening chapters show that Job’s own trial began for a reason hidden from him (2:3).
- Job 34:10-12 (BSB)“Therefore listen to me, O men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wrong, and from the Almighty to act unjustly. For according to a man’s deeds He repays him; according to a man’s ways He brings consequences. Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly, and the Almighty does not pervert justice.”Elihu insists that God never acts wickedly or perverts justice.
- Deuteronomy 32:4 (BSB)“He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.”Scripture elsewhere declares that all God’s ways are just.
- Genesis 18:25 (BSB)“Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?””Abraham affirms that the Judge of all the earth will do what is right.
- Romans 2:6 (BSB)“God “will repay each one according to his deeds.””Paul affirms that God repays each one according to his deeds.
- Job 2:3 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.””In the opening scene the LORD tells Satan that Job keeps his integrity, though Satan incited Him to ruin Job without cause.
General
What point does Elihu make about God and earthly rulers in Job 34:17-20?
Answer: God judges kings and nobles and shows the rich no favor
Elihu asks whether someone who hated justice could govern, and whether Job dares condemn the righteous and mighty God (34:17). God can call kings worthless and nobles wicked; He shows no favoritism to princes or to the rich over the poor, since all are His creatures (34:18-19). The powerful can die suddenly, removed by no human hand (34:20). God breaks the mighty and raises up replacements (34:24), hears the poor when they cry out (34:28), and watches over peoples so that the godless do not rule (34:30). Scripture elsewhere affirms that God shows no partiality (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34) and removes and establishes kings (Daniel 2:21).
- Job 34:17-20 (BSB)“Could one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One, who says to kings, ‘You are worthless!’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ who is not partial to princes and does not favor rich over poor? For they are all the work of His hands. They die in an instant, in the middle of the night. The people convulse and pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.”Elihu describes God’s impartial judgment of kings, nobles, and the rich.
- Deuteronomy 10:17 (BSB)“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.”The LORD shows no partiality and accepts no bribe.
- Acts 10:34 (BSB)“Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,”Peter affirms that God does not show favoritism.
- Daniel 2:21 (BSB)“He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”God removes kings and establishes them.
Theological
What does Elihu teach about God’s rule over the powerful in Job 34:17-20?
Answer: God judges kings and nobles and shows the rich no favor
Elihu argues from God’s government: one who hated justice could not rule, so Job cannot condemn the righteous and mighty One (34:17). God rebukes kings and nobles, shows no partiality to princes or the rich, since He made them all (34:18-19), and removes the mighty without human agency (34:20). He shatters the powerful and installs successors (34:24), hears the afflicted when they cry out (34:28), and keeps the godless from ruling (34:30). Scripture elsewhere affirms God’s impartiality (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34) and His sovereignty over the rise and fall of kings (Daniel 2:21).
- Job 34:17-20 (BSB)“Could one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One, who says to kings, ‘You are worthless!’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ who is not partial to princes and does not favor rich over poor? For they are all the work of His hands. They die in an instant, in the middle of the night. The people convulse and pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.”Elihu describes God’s impartial judgment of kings, nobles, and the rich.
- Deuteronomy 10:17 (BSB)“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.”The LORD shows no partiality and accepts no bribe.
- Acts 10:34 (BSB)“Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,”Peter affirms that God does not show favoritism.
- Daniel 2:21 (BSB)“He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”God removes kings and establishes them.
General
What would happen, Elihu says, if God took back the breath He gives (Job 34:14-15)?
Answer: Every human being would die and go back to dust
Elihu asks who put God in charge of the earth or gave Him authority over the world (34:13). The answer is no one; God rules by His own right. All life depends on Him, so if He chose to take back His life-giving breath, every living creature would die at once and all people would go back to dust (34:14-15). Scripture elsewhere teaches the same: when God takes away breath, creatures die and go back to dust (Psalm 104:29), people were made from dust and go back to it (Genesis 3:19), and God is the giver of every person’s life and breath (Acts 17:25).
- Job 34:13-15 (BSB)“Who gave Him charge over the earth? Who appointed Him over the whole world? If He were to set His heart to it and withdraw His Spirit and breath, all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.”Elihu says all life depends on God’s Spirit and breath.
- Psalm 104:29 (BSB)“When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust.”When God takes away breath, living things die and return to dust.
- Genesis 3:19 (BSB)“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.””Human beings come from dust and return to it.
- Acts 17:25 (BSB)“Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”God Himself gives everyone life and breath.
Theological
What consequence does Elihu draw in Job 34:14-15 from God’s sovereign hold on life?
Answer: Every human being would die and go back to dust
Elihu grounds God’s justice in His underived sovereignty: no one delegated the earth to Him (34:13). Every creature’s life hangs on His sustaining breath, so were He to recall the breath He gives, every living being would die at once and go back to dust (34:14-15). Scripture elsewhere affirms this dependence: when He takes away their breath, creatures die and go back to dust (Psalm 104:29), humanity is dust and returns to dust (Genesis 3:19), and He gives all people life and breath (Acts 17:25).
- Job 34:13-15 (BSB)“Who gave Him charge over the earth? Who appointed Him over the whole world? If He were to set His heart to it and withdraw His Spirit and breath, all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.”Elihu says all life depends on God’s Spirit and breath.
- Psalm 104:29 (BSB)“When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust.”When God takes away breath, living things die and return to dust.
- Genesis 3:19 (BSB)“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.””Human beings come from dust and return to it.
- Acts 17:25 (BSB)“Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”God Himself gives everyone life and breath.
General
True or False: Elihu says that evildoers can find dark places where God cannot see what they do.
Answer: False
This is false. Elihu says God’s eyes are on every person’s ways and He sees every step (34:21). No shadow is dark enough for evildoers to hide in (34:22). So God does not need to examine anyone further before judging (34:23). Scripture elsewhere teaches the same: night shines like day before God (Psalm 139:11-12), no creature is concealed from His sight (Hebrews 4:13), and His eyes are everywhere, watching both wicked and righteous (Proverbs 15:3).
- Job 34:21-23 (BSB)“For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step. There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide. For God need not examine a man further or have him approach for judgment.”Elihu says God sees every step and no darkness hides evildoers.
- Psalm 139:11-12 (BSB)“If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”— even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.”Darkness cannot hide anyone from God.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing in creation is hidden from God’s sight.
- Proverbs 15:3 (BSB)“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.”The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, watching evil and good.
Theological
True or False: According to Elihu, there are realms of darkness in which evildoers escape God’s sight.
Answer: False
This is false. Elihu affirms that God’s eyes are on a man’s ways and He sees all his steps (34:21); no gloom however deep conceals evildoers (34:22), so God needs no further inquiry before judgment (34:23). God’s exhaustive knowledge is affirmed elsewhere in Scripture: night shines like day before Him (Psalm 139:11-12), no creature is concealed from His sight (Hebrews 4:13), and His eyes are everywhere, watching wicked and righteous alike (Proverbs 15:3).
- Job 34:21-23 (BSB)“For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step. There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide. For God need not examine a man further or have him approach for judgment.”Elihu says God sees every step and no darkness hides evildoers.
- Psalm 139:11-12 (BSB)“If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”— even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.”Darkness cannot hide anyone from God.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing in creation is hidden from God’s sight.
- Proverbs 15:3 (BSB)“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.”The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, watching evil and good.