Intercession for the Three Friends 

42:7  After the LORD had said these things to Job. This phrase connects back to the formula that introduced the theophany in 38:1. As there, this phrase makes clear to the reader that the divine interrogation in chapters 38–41 addresses Job—and not Elihu, whose speeches immediately precede God’s appearance. This editorial comment also links the prose epilogue to the theophany and demonstrates a purposeful movement to unify the various segments of the book. Stating the obvious in this way—“After the LORD had said”—has the effect of emphasizing the disjuncture between the final statement of Job in verse 6 and the subsequent events of the epilogue. The restoration of Job, therefore, cannot undermine the critique of retribution that is so fundamental to the p…