2 Chronicles 20:37 (LSB)

Passage

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works.” So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:35 Afterwards, Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly in so doing.

2 Chronicles 20:36 So he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.

2 Chronicles 20:37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works.” So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.

Study Lenses

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

The prior verse says "So he allied himself with him to...", giving immediate footing for "eliezer" and "dodavahu". 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 "dodavahu" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.