2 Samuel 22:17

He reached down from above and grabbed me; ¹  he pulled me from the surging water. ² 

Ps 18:16; Ps 32:6; Ps 59:1,2; Ps 93:3,4; Ps 124:4,5; Ps 130:1; Ps 144:7; Isa 43:2; La 3:54; Re 17:15

¹ tn Heb “stretched.” Perhaps “his hand” should be supplied by ellipsis (see Ps 144:7). In this poetic narrative context the three prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.

² tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see v. 5 and Ps 144:7).