The name Elihu (variant of Elijah) combines eli (my God) and hu (he). It means 'He is my God' or 'my God is He,' emphasizing the personal and real nature of Israel's God. Several men bear this name in the Old Testament, most notably the young man who speaks in the book of Job.
The most significant Elihu is the son of Barachel the Buzite who intervenes in Job's debate with his three friends (Job 32-37). Elihu had waited patiently while his elders spoke, but when he saw that they had failed to answer Job and had justified themselves rather than God (Job 32:3), he spoke with passionate conviction. Elihu's speeches serve as a theological bridge between the failed counsel of the three friends and God's own speech from the whirlwind. He insists on God's sovereign righteousness and rebukes Job's self-justification while acknowledging Job's suffering. The fact that God does not rebuke Elihu (as He does the three friends) suggests his speeches carry a measure of truth.