Psalms 18:16-19

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

he pulled me from the surging water. ² 

18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, ³ 

from those who hate me,

for they were too strong for me.

18:18 They confronted ⁴  me in my day of calamity,

but the Lord helped me. ⁵ 

18:19 He brought me out into a wide open place;

he delivered me because he was pleased with me. ⁶ 

[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).

[18:17]  ³ tn The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist’s enemies. The following line, which refers to “those [plural] who hate me,” favors the latter.

[18:18]  ⁵ tn The same verb is translated “trapped” in v. 5. In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.

[18:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “became my support.”

[18:19]  ⁷ tn Or “delighted in me.”