Who is Elihu?

[posthuman]

No, tacit approval from God in this story is when God expressly affirms Job in chapters 1 & 2, and then again in chapter 42. There is no express approval by God of Elihu.

tacit (adjective)​

understood or implied without being stated​

 

[posthuman]

Yes, after the whirlwind arrives, Elihu is not heard from or mentioned again. Some people assume Elihu is still there, but where is the evidence for that view?

What I have found very interesting are other places where a whirlwind is mentioned in Scripture. The KJV specifically uses the term "whirlwind", so that's where the references below are from. Perhaps these verses can provide a clue us as to the whereabouts of Elihu:

1. Proverbs 10:25 “As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.”

2. Jeremiah 23:19 “Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.”

3. Jeremiah 30:23 “Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.”

4. Hosea 8:7 “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.”

5. Isaiah 40:24 “Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.”

6. Proverbs 1:26,27 “I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

7. Nahum 1:2,3 “God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.”

So if Job and his friends were wicked, it seems the whirlwind would have destroyed them. But as we know, Job and his friends are present when God appears in the whirlwind. What is quite curious, however, is that Elihu is never heard from or mentioned again after God appears in the whirlwind. Hmm...

that's an incredibly weak argument you've got there for Elihu being destroyed by the appearing of God, for Elihu giving exactly the same criticism God speaks of Job.

also, you omitted some verses from your 'study'

2 Kings 2:11​

Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire [appeared] with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.​

​

note the similar names.

Elijah = The LORD is God
Elihu = He is my God

perhaps God took Elihu with Him into heaven?

 

[christophernyc]

tacit (adjective)​

understood or implied without being stated​

Yes, thank you. I used the word incorrectly.

 

[christophernyc]

that's an incredibly weak argument you've got there for Elihu being destroyed by the appearing of God, for Elihu giving exactly the same criticism God speaks of Job.

also, you omitted some verses from your 'study'

2 Kings 2:11​

Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire [appeared] with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.​

​

note the similar names.

Elijah = The LORD is God
Elihu = He is my God

perhaps God took Elihu with Him into heaven?

Yes, I left out that reference because it was the exception. The majority of the time when the whirlwind appears, however, is when it coincides with destroying the wicked.

Also, there is a difference in the names Elijah and Elihu, specifically the ending. "Jah" in Elijah is a direct reference to YAH, as in Yahweh. However "hu" in Elihu can mean various things.

Strong's Lexicon
hu or hi: he, she, it, that, this
Original Word: הוּא
Part of Speech: pronoun 3rd person singular
Transliteration: huw'
Pronunciation: hoo / hee
Phonetic Spelling: (hoo)
Definition: he, she, it, that, this
Meaning: he, self, the same, this, that, as, are

So "who" is Elihu's God exactly? The lovers of Elihu rush to make him righteous, but is he?

 

[posthuman]

Yes, thank you. I used the word incorrectly.

what i meant was, because judgement was spoken in Job 42, and Elihu is conspicuously not included in the rebuke, it seems to me clear the implication is that he spoke nothing worthy of rebuke

 

[posthuman]

Yes, I left out that reference because it was the exception. The majority of the time when the whirlwind appears, however, is when it coincides with destroying the wicked.

Also, there is a difference in the names Elijah and Elihu, specifically the ending. "Jah" in Elijah is a direct reference to YAH, as in Yahweh. However "hu" in Elihu can mean various things.

Strong's Lexicon
hu or hi: he, she, it, that, this
Original Word: הוּא
Part of Speech: pronoun 3rd person singular
Transliteration: huw'
Pronunciation: hoo / hee
Phonetic Spelling: (hoo)
Definition: he, she, it, that, this
Meaning: he, self, the same, this, that, as, are

So "who" is Elihu's God exactly? The lovers of Elihu rush to make him righteous, but is he?

yes the El is the shortened form of Elohim
Jah ((or Yah)) is the shortened form of YHVH

Elijah = El is Jah... YHVH is God
Elihu = El is He... He is God

with this similarity i think the exceptional circumstances of one with a whirlwind and the other with a whirlwind shouldn't be overlooked

the majority opinion as i understand is that Elihu is omitted from Job 42 simply because he is unimportant.

this is imo an incredibly bad exegesis given he has several chapters devoted to his words, and that his words close all the words of mankind in the book, before God speaks.