Eliphaz the Temanite was the spokesperson for the friends, probably because of he was older. Eliphaz had a false claim that his advice came from visions of prophecy (4:12–16). Now God spoke to him, but not to support his message.
Unlike his three friends, Job spoke accurately about God (compare 13:7–10). Job’s direct questions were more effective in finding out the truth about God than the friends’ shallow definitions of doctrine.