Elihu describes how God's voice 'roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightning when his voice is heard,' emphasizing divine power and the natural consequence of divine utterance. This verse portrays divine action as forceful and inevitable, suggesting that when God speaks through natural phenomena, the consequences follow inexorably. The image of thunder roaring and lightning following divine speech suggests the immediacy and power of divine action. Elihu uses this image to suggest the irresistibility of divine will. Yet the verse also raises questions: if divine will is so irresistible and inevitable, what moral accountability can creatures have? If actions follow divine utterance inevitably, how can divine judgment be just?

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