Psalms 18:16

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

Ex 2:10; 2Sa 22:17; Ps 18:43; Ps 40:1-3; Ps 57:3; Ps 144:7; Jon 2:5,6; 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. 4 and Ps 144:7).