Psalms 18:16

18:16 He reached down ¹  from above and took hold of me;

he pulled me from the surging water. ² 

Psalms 144:7

144:7 Reach down ³  from above!

Grab me and rescue me from the surging water, ⁴ 

from the power of foreigners, ⁵ 

[18:16]  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.

[18:16]  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).

[144:7]  ³ tn Heb “stretch out your hands.”

[144:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful foreign enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see the next line and Ps 18:16-17).

[144:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “from the hand of the sons of foreignness.”