“Why dost thou strive against him?”
The full verse · Job 33:13 · KJV
dost thou against him? for he giveth not of any of his .
Asked by
Asked to
Job himself, though Elihu’s rebuke addresses a broader audience including the three older friends who have fallen silent.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionElihu uses a question to expose the presumption in Job’s complaint that God owes him explanations, shifting the burden from God’s supposed silence to Job’s improper expectations of divine accountability.
The Response
What Scripture recordsJob does not reply to Elihu’s question in this immediate context. Elihu continues his speech through chapter 37 without interruption, and God Himself answers Job directly from the whirlwind in chapter 38, bypassing Elihu’s arguments entirely.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyElihu’s question targets Job’s fundamental posture toward God throughout the dialogues. The Hebrew verb rib means to bring a legal case, and Job has repeatedly used courtroom language to demand God appear and answer charges. By asking “Why do you contend?” Elihu exposes the absurdity of a creature hauling Creator into court and expecting equal footing. The phrase that follows, “He giveth not account of any of his matters”, uses the Hebrew word dabar (word, matter, thing) to encompass all God’s ways and decisions. Elihu frames this as a question rather than flat assertion to invite Job’s self-examination: on what grounds does finite man demand infinite God justify His governance? The rhetorical force creates cognitive dissonance, pressing Job to recognize the category error in his complaints. Theologically, this touches divine aseity. God’s self-existence and independence from creation means He operates from perfect wisdom requiring no external validation or explanation to subordinates.
Ever felt God owes you an explanation? Elihu’s question cuts through our entitled demands for divine accountability. Like Job, we sometimes mistake God’s silence for absence or His delayed answers for indifference. Yet God’s sovereignty means He acts according to perfect wisdom, not our timelines or expectations. Romans 11:34 asks, “Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” When circumstances confuse us and heaven seems silent, we can choose trust over contention. Faith doesn’t demand God explain Himself before we obey; it rests in His character when explanations don’t come. The same God who didn’t answer Elihu’s arguments but instead revealed Himself directly to Job will meet you too, not necessarily with answers, but with His presence, which proves sufficient.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
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