(37) Then.--And.

Eliezer the son of Dodavah.--A prophet who is otherwise unknown.

Dodavah.--Heb. Dod?v?h-. (Comp. Hodavy?h-. 1Chronicles 3:24; LXX., ?????, as if the Heb. were Dodiy?h; Vulg., "Dodau."

Mareshah.--See 2Chronicles 11:8.

Because thou hast joined thyself.--Comp. Jehu the son of Hanani's similar rebuke of Jenoshaphat for his alliance with Ahab (2Chronicles 19:2).

The Lord hath broken.--Shattered (parac). (Comp. 2Chronicles 24:7.) The perfect is prophetic, i.e., will certainly shatter.

And the ships were broken.--Wrecked by a gale. (Comp. Psalm 48:7 : "With the east wind Thou breakest ships of Tarshish.")

That they were not able.--And kept not strength to go (2Chronicles 13:20; 2Chronicles 14:10).

After this misadventure, Ahaziah proposed another joint expedition; but the king of Judah declined. (See on 2Chronicles 20:36.)

Verse 37. - Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah. Nothing beside is known of this prophet. For Mareshah, see 2 Chronicles 11:8, and note there. The ships were broken; i.e. presumably by some storm. One general remark may be made upon these verses (34-37), together with vers. 45-50 of 1 Kings 22, viz. that the dislocation of both manner and matter, observable in both, of them, probably betrays something out of order for whatever reason or accident, in the more original source, from which both drew, the apparently disjointed mixture of matter in the parallel being the more patent of the two.

20:31-37 Jehoshaphat kept close to the worship of God, and did what he could to keep his people close to it. But after God had done such great things for him, given him not only victory, but wealth; after this, to go and join himself with a wicked king, was very ungrateful. What could he expect but that God would be angry with him? Yet it seems, he took the warning; for when Ahaziah afterward pressed him to join him, he would not, 1Ki 22:49. Thus the alliance was broken, and the Divine rebuke had its effect, at least for a season. Let us be thankful for any losses which may have prevented the loss of our immortal souls. Let us praise the Lord, who sought after us, and left us not to perish in our sins.Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah,.... A city in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:44.

prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah; an idolatrous prince, with whom he ought to have had no fellowship, even in civil things, it being both a countenancing him, and exposing himself and people to danger:

the Lord hath broken thy works; the ships built at the joint expense of the two kings, that is, the Lord had determined to break them, and now foretold that he would; the Targum is,"the Word of the Lord hath destroyed thy works:"

and the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish; see Gill on 1 Kings 22:48.