Elihu declares 'Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding,' suggesting that God's power is coupled with wisdom and that God's mightiness includes refusal to be contemptuous. This verse presents a balanced image of God: powerful yet not tyrannical, mighty yet wise, strong yet not despising. Elihu's characterization suggests that divine power is exercised according to understanding and principle rather than arbitrary will. The phrase 'does not despise any' introduces a note of divine respect for creatures, a suggestion that God's majesty does not preclude divine concern for individuals. Yet the verse also leaves a crucial question unresolved: if God is mighty, wise, and does not despise any, why are the innocent allowed to suffer unmercifully? The verse asserts desirable qualities of God without addressing how those qualities relate to the problem of undeserved suffering.

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