The answer is: They had found no answer for Job

Job 32:3,5 - Here were men much older and wiser than Elihu supposedly and they had failed to come up with any answer for Job.

Elihu’s frustration really illuminates a key theme in the Book of Job: the pitfalls of human wisdom in the face of intense suffering. Imagine the setting—Job has just been sitting in the ashes of his catastrophic losses, trying to make sense of unbearable pain while his friends offer a barrage of confusing arguments based on ancient, rigid conventions of morality and retribution. When Elihu, a younger man, decides to speak up, it’s like watching the underdog emerge in a classic showdown of right vs. wrong.

By pointing out that Job’s friends failed to provide any answers, Elihu pulls back the curtain on something important: the essence of true wisdom lies not in age but in understanding and the skill to empathize. It’s also a moment that suggests fresh perspectives often stem from newer voices—just look at Elihu's audacity to critique those he respects for their supposed wisdom. Did you know that cultural context plays an essential role in this? Ancient Near Eastern cultures often equated age with wisdom, yet Elihu sheds light on the hidden potential of the inexperienced.

The Book of Job opens our minds overall by urging its readers to engage thoughtfully with suffering and morality rather than merely apply pat explanations. Elihu’s voice in this dialogue adds weight to the often-unconventional clamor of paradigms calling out for a deeper, heart-felt relational understanding with God and life’s complexities!