Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish,.... Ships to go to sea, particularly the Indian sea, 1 Kings 10:22. Tarshish is used for the sea in general, Psalms 48:7, in the Cetib, or text, it is "ten"; in the Keri, or margin, it is "made", which we follow, and may be put together, as in the Tigurine version, and read, "he made ten ships to go by sea":
even to go to Ophir for gold; as Solomon did; of which place see 1 Kings 9:28,
but they went not, for the ships were broken at Eziongeber; the port where they were built: as soon as they were launched, or sailed, they were broken to pieces against the rocks near the harbour, which stood up like a man's backbone, whence the port had its name;
1 Kings 9:26, and if this was Calzem, as there observed, near to it was a dangerous place for ships, and where many were lost, and is supposed to be the place where Pharaoh and his host were drowned y; the reason of this shipwreck was, because Jehoshaphat joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, for which he was reproved by the prophet Eliezer, and this was his punishment, 2 Chronicles 20:35.
y Vid. Geograph. Nub. Climat. 3. par. 3. in fine.