'Friends' in the Bible

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

“The paths of their course wind along,They go up into nothing and perish.[Your counsel is as helpful to me as a dry streambed in the heat of summer.]

“If he is snatched from his place [in the garden],Then his place will forget him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’

“My friends are scoffers [who ridicule];My eye pours out tears to God.

“He who denounces and informs against his friends for a share of the spoil,The eyes of his children will also languish and fail.

“My relatives have failed [me],And my intimate friends have forgotten me.

“All the men of my council hate me;Those I love have turned against me.

“Have pity on me! Have pity on me, O you my friends,For the hand of God has touched me.

Let thorns grow instead of wheat,And stinkweed and cockleburs instead of barley.”So the words of Job [with his friends] are finished.

Elihu’s anger burned against Job’s three friends because they had found no answer [and were unable to determine Job’s error], and yet they had condemned Job and declared him to be in the wrong [and responsible for his own afflictions].

“They (Job’s friends) are dismayed and embarrassed, they no longer answer;The words have moved away and failed them,” [says Elihu].

It came about that after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.