Elihu concludes 'Therefore, mortal men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit,' suggesting that proper response to divine power is fear and that self-confident wisdom is inappropriate. This verse ends Elihu's seven discourses with an appeal to fear as the appropriate response to divine power. The condemnation of those wise in their own conceit seems directed at Job, who has insisted on his own righteousness despite Elihu's arguments. Elihu suggests that Job's self-confidence is itself the problem, that Job needs to abandon confidence in his own wisdom and accept divine wisdom. Yet the verse also raises questions: is fear the same as love? Is fear the same as justice? Can a system of justice be grounded primarily in fear of power? Elihu's final verse does not resolve the conflict with Job but rather reasserts the position that Job's complaint stems from human presumption that should be replaced with fear. The verse marks the end of Elihu's discourse and the space into which God's direct address will come.

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