I am clean without transgression, I am innocent. Job had not said that he was "clean," or "without transgression," or "innocent." With respect to "cleanness," he had observed, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
not one," implying that all men were unclean (see Job 14:4). Concerning,'transgressions," he had declared, "I have sinned … Why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?" (Job 7:20, Job 7:21); and again, "Thou makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth" (Job 13:26).
Further, he had asked to be told the number of his iniquities and sins (Job 13:23), and declared that God kept his transgressions and iniquities sewn up and sealed in a bag (Job 14:17). With regard to "innocence," the only observation that he had made was, "I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent" (Job 9:28).
What he had really asserted was his uprightness, his integrity, his "righteousness" (Job 12:4: Job 16:17; Job 23:7; Job 27:5, Job 27:6; Job 31:5-40). And these are exactly what God bore witness to (Job 1:8; Job 2:3).
It is plain, then, that Elihu overstated his ease, and, whatever his intentions were, was practically almost as unfair to Job as the "comforters." Neither is there iniquity in me. Nor had Job said this.