For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.
The saying in Job 34:9 is Elihu's, spoken in his speech that follows the close of the argument between Job and his friends in chapter 31. That speech belongs to Elihu's speeches extending from Job 32 to Job 37. Those chapters form the third division of the book, the argument of Elihu and reproof to Job, which belongs to the colloquies on the cause and object of human suffering. Elihu enters as a younger man who thinks his superior wisdom will correct Job, follows about the same line as the other friends, and receives no answer.
His discourse is admirable yet seemingly fails to help Job much, whose persistent self-justification was provoked by his friends' false accusations. The inspiration of the book guarantees only that the saying was truly spoken, not that what was said is true. Speeches in the book may be false, as Satan's were, or generally true but misapplied to Job's case, as the friends' were.
The saying in Job 34:9 is Elihu's, spoken in his speech that follows the close of the argument between Job and his friends in chapter 31. That speech belongs to Elihu's speeches extending from Job 32 to Job 37. Those chapters form the third division of the book, the argument of Elihu and reproof to Job, which belongs to the colloquies on the cause and object of human suffering. Elihu enters as a younger man who thinks his superior wisdom will correct Job, follows about the same line as the other friends, and receives no answer.
His discourse is admirable yet seemingly fails to help Job much, whose persistent self-justification was provoked by his friends' false accusations. The inspiration of the book guarantees only that the saying was truly spoken, not that what was said is true. Speeches in the book may be false, as Satan's were, or generally true but misapplied to Job's case, as the friends' were.