Job 32:2 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Job 32:2
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.
to glow or grow warm · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
wrath
אַ֨ף'af
H639
properly · noun, common masculine singular construct
Elihu
אֱלִיה֣וּא'e.li.Hu'
H453
Elihu · proper noun, a man's name
son
בֶןven-
H1121
a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
Barachel
בַּרַכְאֵ֣לba.rakh.'El
H1292
Barakel · proper noun, a man's name
Buzite
הַבּוּזִי֮ha.bu.Zi
H940
a Buzite or descendant of Buz · definite article + noun, gentilic masculine singular absolute
kindred
מִמִּשְׁפַּ֪חַ֫תmi.mish.Pa.Chat
H4940
a family · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
Ram
רָ֥םram
H7410
Ram · proper noun, a man's name
Job
בְּ֭אִיּוֹבBe.'i.yov
H347
Ijob · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
wrath
אַפּ֑וֹ'a.Po
H639
properly · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
kindled
חָרָ֣הcha.Rah
H2734
to glow or grow warm · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
justified
צַדְּק֥וֹtza.de.Ko
H6663
to be (causatively · verb, piel infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
himself
נַ֝פְשׁ֗וֹnaf.Sho
H5315
properly · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
God
מֵאֱלֹהִֽיםme.'E.lo.Him
H430
gods in the ordinary sense · preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Genesis 22:21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
Job 27:2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
Job 27:5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
Job 35:2 Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God’s?
Job 40:8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Job 10:3 Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wic…
Job 30:21 Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 32:1-5
Usually young men are the disputants and old men the moderators; but here, when old men were the disputants, as a rebuke to them for their unbecoming heat, a young man is raised up to be the moderator. Divers of Job's friends were present, that came to visit him and to receive instruction. Now here we have,
I. The reason why his three friends were now silent. They ceased to answer him, and let him have his saying, because he was righteous in his own eyes. This was the reason they gave why they said no more, because it was to no purpose to argue with a man that was so opinionative, Job 32:1. Those that are self-conceited are indeed hard to be wrought upon; there is more hope of a fool (a fool…
Elihu--meaning "God is Jehovah." In his name and character as messenger between God and Job, he foreshadows Jesus Christ (Job 33:23-26).
Barachel--meaning "God blesses." Both names indicate the piety of the family and their separation from idolaters.
Buzite--Buz was son of Nahor, brother of Abraham. Hence was named a region in Arabia-Deserta (Jer 25:23).
Ram--Aram, nephew of Buz. Job was probably of an older generation than Elihu. However, the identity of names does not necessarily prove the identity of persons. The particularity with which Elihu's descent is given, as contrasted with the others, led LIGHTFOOT to infer Elihu was the author of the book. But the reason for particularity…
Then was kindled the wrath - This means no more than that Elihu was greatly excited, and felt a strong and zealous desire to vindicate the justice and providence of God, against the aspersions of Job and his friends.
Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite - Buz was the second son of Nahor, the brother of Abram, Gen 22:21.
Of the kindred of Ram - Kemuel was the third son of Nahor; and is called in Genesis (see above) the father of Aram, which is the same as Ram. A city of the name of Buz is found in Jer 25:23, which probably had its name from this family; and, as it is mentioned with Dedan and Tema, we know it must have been a city in Idumea, as the others were in that district. Instead of the…
The Church Fathers
Elihu is inflamed not because [Job] declared himself to be righteous but because he did that before the Lord, as he invoked him as his witness; or because he thought that [Job] brought an action against God. In fact, to justify oneself has no great importance in itself, but to do that with the intention of bringing an action against God is absolutely inopportune.… Now, if this is true, what an extreme act of impiety on the part of Job if he believed himself to be more righteous than God [and to be authorized to bring action against him]. What really happened? This was not Job's thought at all. It is Elihu who believed so. Job did not speak with the idea that he was more righteous than God but with the idea that God was responsible for his afflictions. Therefore he did not reproach God for any injustice: it is Elihu who understood it so.
And Eliu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram, was wroth and indignant. The names either of himself, or of his parent, of his home, or kindred, furnish a mark of his own conduct. For Eliu being interpreted means, 'That my God,' or, 'God the Lord.' By whom, as we said to you, is designated the sound faith of proud men placed within the Church. Whence this very name of his is suited to them also. For though they live not according to the commandments of the Lord, they yet recognise God as their Lord, because in the truth of His flesh they realize also the form of the Godhead, as is said by the Prophet, Know ye that the Lord He is God. But Barachel, signifies when interpreted, 'The blessing of God,' but Buzite, 'contemptible.' And either of these expressions is well suited to proud preachers: because in the eloquence of their speech they enjoy the blessing of Divine Grace, but in their proud manners they shew that it is to be despised. For the gifts which they have received they render contemptible, by not knowing how to use them rightly. But he is fitly said to be also of the kindred of Ram. For Ram signifies 'lofty.' For lofty is the assembly of the faithful, which despises the low and abject things of this life. Lofty are they who can say with Paul, Our conversation is in heaven. Eliu therefore is said to be 'of the kindred of Ram,' because every haughty preacher within the bosom of the Church Catholic, is united to the holy People in the verity of the faith, however he may be separated from them in conduct by the sinfulness of his pride. It follows, But he was angry against Job, because he said he was just before God. Moreover against his friends was he wroth, because they had not found reasonable answers, but had merely condemned Job. It must be carefully observed, that he blames blessed Job for professing himself just before God, but his friends because in condemning him they gave no reasonable reply. For it is plainly inferred, from these marks, that in him are characterized the lovers of vain glory. For he convicts Job of presuming on his righteousness, his friends of making a foolish answer. For all lovers of vain glory, while they prefer themselves to all other, accuse some of folly, others of obtaining what they do not deserve: that is, they consider some to be ignorant, others to be evil livers. And though they may justly accuse…
Dictionary and topics
Barachel — Whom God has blessed, a Buzite, the father of Elihu, one of Job’s friends (Job 32:2, 6).
Buz — Contempt. (1.) The second son of Nahor and Milcah, and brother of Huz (Gen. 22:21). Elihu was one of his descendants (Job 32:2). (2.) One of the chiefs of the tribe of Gad (1 Chr. 5:14). (3.) A…
Elihu — Whose God is he. (1.) “The son of Barachel, a Buzite” (Job 32:2), one of Job’s friends. When the debate between Job and his friends is brought to a close, Elihu for the first time makes his…
Ram — Exalted. (1.) The son of Hezron, and one of the ancestors of the royal line (Ruth 4:19). The margin of 1 Chr. 2:9, also Matt. 1:3, 4 and Luke 3:33, have “Aram.” (2.) One of the sons of Jerahmeel (1…
Barachel · Father of Elihu — Father of Elihu
Self-Righteousness · 2:9; — 2:9;
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite,.... Both against Job and his three friends, for reasons after given; who this person was is not easy to say; they debase him too much, who make him to be Balaam the soothsayer, according to the tradition of the Jews (g); for neither the time he lived in, nor his character, will agree with him; this man living before the times of Balaam; and being also a holy good man, which all his discourses show: and they too much exalt him who make him to be Christ; for though some phrases, being strained, may seem to agree with him, and some things in the signification of his name, and the names of his ancestors, may be thought to answer…
1-3 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. And the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was kindled: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself at the expense of God. And against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they found no answer, and condemned Job.
The name of the speaker is אליהוּא (with Mahpach), son of בּרכאל (with Munach) the buwziy (with Zarka). The name Elihu signifies "my God is He," and occurs also as an Israelitish name, although it is not specifically Israelitish, like Elijah (my God is Jehovah). Brach'el (for which the mode of writing בּרכאל with Dag. implic. is al…
the Buzite: Buz had connections with Aram (Gen 22:21) and Arabia (Jer 25:23), as did Uz (Job 1:1). • Elihu repeatedly stated that he was angry; he probably regarded his anger as righteous zeal (Ps 69:9).
Rashi on Job 32:2
Elihu’s Address of the family of Ram Abraham, as it is stated (Josh. 14:15): “the greatest man among the Anakim.” This is Abraham.
than God More than the Omnipresent.