איוב, פרק ל״ב, פסוק י״ב

Elihu harbors a deep disappointment in the inability of Job's companions to address his arguments. After listening to them at length, he confronts the group, pointing out that despite their plenty of words, they offered no actual substance or true response to Job's distress and questions. Elihu makes it clear that he directed his full attention toward them [רמב״ן, מצודת ציון], carefully observing and weighing everything they said [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Beyond merely analyzing their arguments, he also studied the speakers themselves in an attempt to understand the methods and philosophical assumptions upon which they based their views [מלבי״ם].

The result of this careful observation is the realization that not a single person among them managed to successfully correct, lecture, or convince Job [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ, רש״י]. The root of this failure lies in the companions relying entirely on general claims. They settled for broad statements, such as the principle that God does not pervert justice and therefore Job must have sinned. Yet, they completely failed to prove this on a specific, individual level against Job's persistent claim that he is a righteous man [אלשיך].

Furthermore, Elihu accuses the companions of speaking empty words that do not even deserve to be called a proper answer [מצודת דוד]. Unlike skilled debaters who typically address every argument individually and respond to it directly, the companions ignored Job's specific statements and merely judged him in a broad, general sense [אלשיך]. In the end, they failed not only to bring absolute proof, but they could not even provide an adequate rhetorical response to contradict his claims [מלבי״ם].