Now the angry young man Elihu, a somewhat mysterious figure, speaks:
After the dispute between Job and his friends had ended, the argument of Eliud against Job is introduced. He uses more penetrating arguments against Job than the prior speeches and approaches nearer the truth. So Job does not answer him, although he still deviates a little from the truth and interprets the words of Job in the wrong sense, as we shall clearly see.
He begins by stating that the reason which moved him to speak was indignation against Job and against his friends. The text begins with the premise beforehand of the silence of the friends when it says, “So these three men about whom the text has already spoken, “gave up answering Job.” It is noteworthy here that the text would not call them men if it were not an actual event and only a made up parable. The text next indicates the cause of the silence saying, “because he seemed righteous to them.” For Job had said many things in showing his own justice, which these men could not contradict. For both of these reasons, the silence of his friends and the fact that Job seemed to them to be righteous, Eliud, who stood by was agitated to anger. So the text continues, “But angry,” in heart, “and indignant,” in showing exterior signs of anger, “there was Eliud,” which describes his name, “the son of Barachiel,” which describes his anger, “The Buzite,” described by his native land, and “of the family of Ram,” which describes his tribe. This whole description suffices to show that this was an actual event.
The text next explains the cause of his anger against Job first when it says, “He was angry against Job because he said he was just before God,” according to divine testimony. This is especially against what Job said, “He knows my way,” and later, “My feet followed in his steps.” (23:10) As to his friends, the text continues, “Further, he was indignant against his three friends because they had not found a reasonable answer,” with which they might respond to his words in which he asserted that he was righteous, “but they merely condemned Job,” saying that he was evil.
The text shows the reason why Eliud had previously not answered Job in anyway when it says, “Therefore Eliud waited for Job to speak,” without contradicting his speeches, “because those who spoke were his elders,” deferring to them as though to wiser men, and because their old age required it. But since it did not seem to him that reverence for someone should prejudice the truth, he, though younger, began to answer angrily the three elders, and so the text continues, “Since he had seen that the three could not answer,” the arguments of Job, “he was violently angry,” because he thought that the truth would perish by their laziness. So he wanted to defend the truth as he understood it in their place. The text therefore continues, “and Eliud, the son of Barachiel, the Buzite, answered,” to the discourses and arguments of Job.
In his anger he first excuses his former silence, both because of his age, “And he said, ‘I am younger in years,’” and because of the old age of the others, and so he says, “and you are older.” Young men ought to defer in reverence to their elders, and so he says, “on that account I lowered my head,” as a sign of reverence and humility, “and I was reluctant to express my opinion to you,” so as not to seem presumptuous in hindering the words of wiser men by my discourses. It seems probable that old men speak more wisely for two reasons. First, because young men from the fervor of the soul frequently propose many things without any order, whereas old men because of the gravity of age speak more maturely. So he says, “For I was hoping that a greater length of years would speak,” with more seriousness and with greater effect. Second, because old men by the experience of a long life-time can experience many things, and consequently, speak with more wisdom. So the text continues, “and a great number of years,” because of which one can acquire experience, “would teach wisdom,” received from experience.
As a consequence he excuses the fact that he is now going to begin to speak because he has experienced the fact that age is not the sufficient cause of wisdom, but rather divine inspiration, and so he says, “But as I see,” that is, I consider, the effect, “the spirit,” of God, “is in men,” in as much as he operates in them. This is why he adds, “and the inspiration of the Almighty,” by which he breathes the Holy Spirit into men, who “is the spirit of wisdom and understanding,” (Is. 11:2) “gives understanding,” of the truth which is the beginning of wisdom in those who are inspired. He shows that this inspiration is the special cause of wisdom on the basis of the fact that age does not perfectly cause wisdom. So he says, “It is not the old that are wise,” as to the1knowledge of divine truth, “nor the aged that understand what is right,” as to the ordering of human acts. Because although he was not aged, he nevertheless was confident that he was inspired by God. Therefore, he dared to speak, and so he says, “Therefore, I will speak.”
At the end of Job God notes that the three friends of Job have spoken wrongly about him. Eliud, who will note when God decides to respond to Job, is omitted. God does not say that Eliud has spoken rightly about him, but the omission is almost certainly significant.
