2 Chronicles 20:36 (GNV)

Passage

And he ioyned with him, to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the shippes in Ezion Gaber.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:34 Concerning the rest of the actes of Iehoshaphat first and last, beholde, they are written in the booke of Iehu the sonne of Hanani, which is mentioned in the booke of the kings of Israel.

2 Chronicles 20:35 Yet after this did Iehoshaphat King of Iudah ioyne himselfe with Ahaziah King of Israel, who was giuen to do euill.

2 Chronicles 20:36 And he ioyned with him, to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the shippes in Ezion Gaber.

2 Chronicles 20:37 Then Eliezer ye sonne of Dodauah of Mareshah prophecied against Iehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast ioyned thy selfe with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy workes. and the shippes were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ioyned", "make", "ships", "tarshish", "shippes", "ezion", and "gaber". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ioyned" and "make", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 35's "Yet after this did Iehoshaphat King of..." into verse 37's "Then Eliezer ye sonne of Dodauah of...", so "ioyned" and "make" belong inside that flow. In 2 Chronicles context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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