Giobbe 33: Elihu, un messaggio di grazia

Elihu is a young friend of Job who, different from the other three older friends, offers a very important contribution to the solution of Job’s problem, especially in chap. 33. The chapters regarding Elihu (32-37) constitute a decisive element in the development of Job’s drama and they contribute to opening the way to God’s final revelation and to Job’s acceptance of his God (chaps. 38-42). The article begins with the text and translation, syntactic analysis, composition and exegesis of Job 33, and continues with an evaluation of the two main theological themes: first that of the “angel / intermediary” in 33:23 and in related texts (9:33, 16:19-21, 17:3, and 19:25) and a synthesis of these texts in comparison with chap. 33; second that of God’s praise after the revelation of his infinite mercy on Job’s personal event, especially in 33:27. I conclude that this is the fundamental value of chaps. 32-37, although for some authors Elihu is a secondary addition to the book by an author who was unsatisfied of the friends’speeches and also of God’s final theophany.