“Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.”
Elihu declares 'The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress,' asserting that divine power is coupled with justice and righteousness. This verse combines multiple assertions: divine transcendence (beyond human reach), divine power (exalted), divine justice, and divine righteousness (manifested as non-oppression). Elihu uses this climactic assertion to affirm that the divine power he has been describing throughout his discourses is exercised justly. Yet the verse also raises questions: Elihu asserts that God does not oppress, yet Job is oppressed. Either Elihu's assertion is false, or Job's suffering is not genuine oppression, or Job deserves his suffering—none of which Elihu has successfully demonstrated. The verse represents Elihu's final attempt to establish divine justice, yet Job's continued silence suggests that Elihu's assertion does not persuade.
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