Elihu declares that 'the godless in heart cherish anger' and 'do not cry to him when he binds them,' suggesting that the wicked respond to affliction with continued rebellion rather than repentance. This verse contrasts the righteous (who listen to affliction and learn) with the wicked (who harden their hearts in anger). The image of the godless refusing to cry to God when bound by affliction suggests a tragic dynamic: affliction that should lead to turning to God instead leads to greater hardening. Elihu uses this image to distinguish cases: suffering that teaches the righteous, versus suffering that reveals the hardness of the wicked. Yet the verse also raises troubling questions: if some people respond to affliction with hardening rather than learning, and if God knows this in advance, does God then send affliction knowing it will harden rather than help? The verse subtly acknowledges that affliction does not have the pedagogical effect Elihu has claimed it always does, undermining his systematic account.

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