John H. Walton

Elihu accuses Job of self-righteousness so extreme that even God’s character is impugned before it.

He contends that Job’s self-righteous defense of himself is serious enough to justify punitive action against him.

In this case, Job’s offensive self-righteousness, so strident that it undermines the justice of God, was not evident until he began to suffer. Therefore the suffering was necessary in order to reveal the problem.