Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was kindled against Job. His wrath was kindled because he justified himself rather than God.
- BSB This kindled the anger of Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram. He burned with anger against Job for justifying himself rather than God,
- NKJV Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God.
- NASB But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned against Job; his anger burned because he justified himself before God.
- NLT Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram, became angry. He was angry because Job refused to admit that he had sinned and that God was right in punishing him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Elihu's anger is kindled against Job because Job justified himself rather than God. A younger man now enters the debate with a fresh complaint.
Overview
The narrator introduces Elihu, whose indignation rises against Job for vindicating himself at God's expense. Unlike the three friends, Elihu's chief concern is that God's righteousness be upheld, not merely that Job be proven guilty. This focus on defending God's justice prepares for themes God will take up directly, and it reflects the proper concern that God be glorified, a concern perfectly fulfilled in Christ, who always honored the Father.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Gen 22:21Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
- Job 40:8Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
- Job 27:2As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
- Job 35:2Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God’s?
- Job 27:5God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
- Mark 3:5And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
- Job 10:3Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?
- Job 30:21Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.
- Luke 10:29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
- Ps 69:9For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
- Eph 4:26Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
- Job 34:5–6For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment.
- Job 34:17–18Shall even he that hateth right govern? and wilt thou condemn him that is most just?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 32:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.