2 Chronicles 20:37 (WEB)

Passage

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works.” The ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:35 After this, Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. The same did very wickedly.

2 Chronicles 20:36 He joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish. 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 joined yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works.” The ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "eliezer", "dodavahu", "mareshah", "prophesied", "against", "jehoshaphat", "saying", and "joined". 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 "He joined himself with him to make...", 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.