Job 36:2

Study note

Setting — Elihu addresses his audience in the middle of his speech, placing his request between his opening statement that he will continue (Job 36:1) and his declaration that he will ascribe justice to his Maker (Job 36:3). He interrupts his own discourse to ask for temporary patience before presenting his defense of God.

The words — The Hebrew phrase לֶאֱל֣וֹהַּ מִלִּֽים (leʾlohah milim) literally renders as "for God words," while כַּתָּר־ זְעֵיר (kaṭṭār- zeʿēr) translates to "wait a little." These terms anchor the verse in a command to pause and a promise to offer additional terms regarding God.

The thread — The request to pause before speaking echoes Job 21:3, where the speaker asks for patience before continuing his argument. The theme of speaking on God’s behalf connects to Job 13:7, which questions whether listeners will speak deceitfully for Him, and to 2 Corinthians 5:20, which describes believers as ambassadors making God’s appeal through them.

Why it lands — The text demands that readers allow the speaker to finish his exposition before forming judgments about God’s character. It requires listeners to suspend immediate rebuttal and receive the full scope of the defense being presented.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.