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.
Then Eliezer, the son of Dodavah from Mareshah, spoke God's message against Jehoshaphat, saying, 'Because you partnered with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your plans.' And the ships were wrecked, so they couldn't sail to Tarshish.
The writer is showing that when King Jehoshaphat made an alliance with the wicked king Ahaziah, God destroyed their joint shipping venture as judgment for this ungodly partnership.
📚 Historical Context
In the divided kingdom period of Israel, King Jehoshaphat of Judah sought alliances with neighboring rulers to strengthen his nation, but this often led to conflicts due to religious differences. Jehoshaphat partnered with Ahaziah, the wicked king of Israel, to build trading ships bound for Tarshish, which was a prosperous distant land, but God disapproved because Ahaziah promoted idolatry and rebellion against Him. As a result, the prophet Eliezer delivered a warning, and the ships were destroyed, illustrating divine judgment on such unholy alliances.
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