Iyov, Part 2- Elihu and Authorship

Note: This is the second installment of a series on Iyov. If you have not read the first source sheet, I strongly suggest doing that now. It is entitled Iyov- Where and When.

איוב ל״ב:ב׳

(ב) וַיִּחַר אַף אֱלִיהוּא בֶן בַּרַכְאֵל הַבּוּזִי מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת רָם בְּאִיּוֹב חָרָה אַפּוֹ עַל צַדְּקוֹ נַפְשׁוֹ מֵאֱלֹהִים.

Job 32:2

(2) Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram; against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.

יחזקאל א׳:ג׳

(ג) הָיֹה הָיָה דְבַר יְהוָה אֶל יְחֶזְקֵאל בֶּן בּוּזִי הַכֹּהֵן בְּאֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים עַל נְהַר כְּבָר וַתְּהִי עָלָיו שָׁם יַד יְהוָה.

Ezekiel 1:3

(3) the word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

From these two sources, which use a unique name in genealogy, one may suspect that Elihu and Yechezkel are one and the same.
But this is not the only indicator of a relationship between the exiled prophet and Iyov.

יחזקאל י״ד:י״ד-כ׳

(יד) וְהָיוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה בְּתוֹכָהּ נֹחַ דנאל [דָּנִיאֵל] וְאִיּוֹב הֵמָּה בְצִדְקָתָם יְנַצְּלוּ נַפְשָׁם נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה...

(כ) וְנֹחַ דנאל [דָּנִיאֵל] וְאִיּוֹב בְּתוֹכָהּ חַי אָנִי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה אִם בֵּן אִם בַּת יַצִּילוּ הֵמָּה בְצִדְקָתָם יַצִּילוּ נַפְשָׁם.

Ezekiel 14:14-20

(14) though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD...

(20) though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

Yechezkel, in these two pesukim, makes the only mentions of Iyov outside of his book.

Considering how I stated that Iyov lived at the beginning of the slavery in Egypt, while Yechezkel lives 1000 years later, what I'm saying right now may seem confusing. Stick with me for another source, and then I'll clear it up.

איוב ב׳:י״א

(יא) וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת רֵעֵי אִיּוֹב אֵת כָּל הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת הַבָּאָה עָלָיו וַיָּבֹאוּ אִישׁ מִמְּקֹמוֹ אֱלִיפַז הַתֵּימָנִי וּבִלְדַּד הַשּׁוּחִי וְצוֹפַר הַנַּעֲמָתִי וַיִּוָּעֲדוּ יַחְדָּו לָבוֹא לָנוּד לוֹ וּלְנַחֲמוֹ.

Job 2:11

(11) Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.

Elihu is absent from the list of the men who visited Iyov. This is strange, and here, according to my opinion, is the reason:

The tale of Iyov was passed on for a millenium. Finally, after being passed down from generation to generation, it reached Yechezkel.
Yechezkel, as you would expect, perfected the structure of the book, probably filled in a few blanks, and re-published the new book of Iyov. But, in addition to those changes, Yechezkel also added a new section.
The message of undeserved punishment was at odds with Yechezkel's beliefs. He was of the generation which had been exiled, and he saw, clear as day, that the judgement meted out by God was because of the excessive sinning all around him. To that end, Yechezkel added in a new character, one who upheld the notion of punishment being the effect of sin. He gave this new player a pen name that hinted at his own.
Check out my new series on Mei Merivah! Look for titles related to Moshe and Aharon's sin, with the author Ephraim Helfgot.

Ephraim Helfgot

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