Elihu's revelation

Among modern scholars, the Elihu speeches are almost universally dismissed as secondary. By contrast, medieval Jewish commentators were unanimous in their affirmation of Elihu, indeed, finding in his theology the key to understanding the place of suffering in divine providence. A positive view of Elihu is evident as well in some early Christian interpreters. This essay seeks to demonstrate that there are compelling literary connections between these speeches and the surrounding materials. Furthermore, it argues that speeches of Elihu are integral to the book's structure and are meant to be read together with the YHWH discourses as two sets of revelation.