2 Chronicles 20:37 (KJV)

Passage

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:35 And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:

2 Chronicles 20:36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongaber.

2 Chronicles 20:37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "eliezer", "dodavah", "mareshah", "prophesied", "against", "jehoshaphat", "saying", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "eliezer" and "dodavah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "And he joined himself with him to...", giving immediate footing for "eliezer" and "dodavah". In 2 Chronicles context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "eliezer" and "dodavah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.