Psalms 18:17-18

18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, ¹ 

from those who hate me,

for they were too strong for me.

18:18 They confronted ²  me in my day of calamity,

but the Lord helped me. ³ 

[18:17]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “became my support.”