2 Chronicles 20:37
in 2 Chronicles 20Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” So the ships were wrecked and were unable to sail to Tarshish.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
KJV
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.
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 20
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe Lord hath broken, etc. - “The Word of the Lord hath broken.” - Targum. Concerning Tarshish, Ezion-geber, and Ophir, and the voyage thither, see the notes on 1Ki 10:22, and at 1Ki 10:29 (note), and on 2Ch 9:26-28 (note). The Tarshish here is called by the Chaldee Torsos in the great sea, some place in the Mediterranean. On this subject the reader has, no doubt, already seen a great variety of opinions.
This site's exposition
made an alliance with Ahaziah
on 2 Chronicles 20:35-37
The chapter ends with another alliance with Ahab's house, a fleet built with Ahaziah, “who acted wickedly”. Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah gives the verdict: “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works”. The ships are wrecked at Ezion-geber and never sail to Tarshish.
This site's exposition
the LORD has destroyed your works
Matthew Henry reads the wreck as a warning that Jehoshaphat heeded, since at 1 Kings 22:49 he refuses Ahaziah's later request to sail together. Clarke records that the Targum places Tarshish in the Great Sea, the Mediterranean, while Jamieson, Fausset and Brown name Tartessus as the fleet's goal.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And, (2.) By a storm, which broke the ships in the port before they set sail, by which he was warned to break off his alliance with Ahaziah; and it seems he took the warning, for, when Ahaziah afterwards pressed him to join with him, he would not, 1 Kings xxii. See how pernicious a thing it is to join in friendship and society with evil-doers.
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the L ORD , before the new court, 6 And said, O L ORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:94%@v5-6
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
after this did Jehoshaphat . . . join himself with Ahaziah . . . to make ships--A combined fleet was built at Ezion-geber, the destination of which was to voyage to Tartessus, but it was wrecked.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּתְנַבֵּ֞א | vaiyitnabe' | and he prophesied | H5012 → | 115 times |
| אֱלִיעֶ֤זֶר | ʾeliezer | Eliezer | H461 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| דֹּדָוָ֙הוּ֙ | dodavahu | Dodavahu | H1735 → | |
| מִמָּ֣רֵשָׁ֔ה | mimareshah | from Mareshah | H4762 → | 7 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יְהוֹשָׁפָ֖ט | yehoshafat | Jehoshaphat | H3092 → | 84 times |
| לֵאמֹ֑ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| כְּהִֽתְחַבֶּרְךָ֣ | kehitchaberkha | as making alliance you | H2266 → | 29 times |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| אֲחַזְיָ֗הוּ | ʾachazyahu | Ahaziah | H274 → | 37 times |
| פָּרַ֤ץ | paratz | he will break | H6555 → | 49 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מַעֲשֶׂ֔יךָ | maaseikha | works your | H4639 → | 236 times |
| וַיִּשָּׁבְר֣וּ | vaiyishaveru | and they were broken | H7665 → | 147 times |
| אֳנִיּ֔וֹת | ʾoniyot | ships | H591 → | 31 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| עָצְר֖וּ | ʾatzeru | they retained | H6113 → | 47 times |
| לָלֶ֥כֶת | lalekhet | to go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| תַּרְשִֽׁישׁ׃ | tarshish | Tarshish | H8659 → | 28 times |
וַיִּתְנַבֵּ֞אand he prophesied
vaiyitnabe'H5012 →115 times
אֱלִיעֶ֤זֶרEliezer
ʾeliezerH461 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
דֹּדָוָ֙הוּ֙Dodavahu
dodavahuH1735 →
מִמָּ֣רֵשָׁ֔הfrom Mareshah
mimareshahH4762 →7 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יְהוֹשָׁפָ֖טJehoshaphat
yehoshafatH3092 →84 times
לֵאמֹ֑ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
כְּהִֽתְחַבֶּרְךָ֣as making alliance you
kehitchaberkhaH2266 →29 times
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
אֲחַזְיָ֗הוּAhaziah
ʾachazyahuH274 →37 times
פָּרַ֤ץhe will break
paratzH6555 →49 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מַעֲשֶׂ֔יךָworks your
maaseikhaH4639 →236 times
וַיִּשָּׁבְר֣וּand they were broken
vaiyishaveruH7665 →147 times
אֳנִיּ֔וֹתships
ʾoniyotH591 →31 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
עָצְר֖וּthey retained
ʾatzeruH6113 →47 times
לָלֶ֥כֶתto go
lalekhetH1980 →1546 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
תַּרְשִֽׁישׁ׃Tarshish
tarshishH8659 →28 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 13:20He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 15:33–34
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- Proverbs 15:31
He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.
- Proverbs 9:6
Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”
- 2 Corinthians 6:14–18
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?
- Psalms 119:63
I am a friend to all who fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33–34
Through
1 Kings 22:48Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 10:22
For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Kings 10:22
Through
2 Chronicles 19:2Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of…
it leads to
- Psalms 139:21–22
Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and detest those who rise against You?
- 2 John 1:10–11
If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him.
- Psalms 139:21–22
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Chronicles
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and W. H. Bennett, The Books of Chronicles (Expositor's Bible).