In the Jewish epic of Job, found in the Hebrew, and later, Christian Scriptures, Elihu is one of the antagonists to the main character, Job.

Geographical Background

According to the scripture, Elihu is one of Job's friends, descended from Nahor (Job 32:2, 34:1). He is said to have descended from Buz who may be from the line of Abraham (Genesis 20:20-21 mentions Buz as a nephew of Abraham).

Buz occurs as a place name in Jeremiah 25:23 but is probably not what is referred to with Elihu.

Synopsis of Elihu's Monologues

He is mentioned in the Book of Job late in the text, chapter 32, and opens his discourse with more modesty than displayed by the other antagonists. Elihu differs from the other antagonists due to the fact that his monologues discuss divine providence, which he insists, however they appear to mortals, are full of wisdom and mercy; that the righteous have their share of prosperity in this life, no less than the wicked; that God is supreme, and that it becomes us to acknowledge and submit to that supremacy; since "the Creator wisely rules the world he made" and he draws instances of benignity from for example the constant wonders of creation and of the seasons. The Book of Job (איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. ... In theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is the sovereignty, superintendence, or agency of God over events in peoples lives and throughout history. ...

It deserves notice, that Elihu does not appear to have offended God by his sentiments for he is not commanded to repent and atone in the epilogue, unlike the other antagonists.

Chapters 32 through 37 of the Book of Job consist entirely of Elihu's speech to Job. He is never mentioned again after the end of this speech.