Mazmur 18:16

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

he pulled me from the surging water. ² 

Mazmur 82:5

82:5 They ³  neither know nor understand.

They stumble ⁴  around in the dark,

while all the foundations of the earth crumble. ⁵ 

Yesaya 24:18

24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror

will fall into the pit; ⁶ 

the one who climbs out of the pit,

will be trapped by the snare.

For the floodgates of the heavens ⁷  are opened up ⁸ 

and the foundations of the earth shake.

[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).

[82:5]  ³ sn Having addressed the defendants, God now speaks to those who are observing the trial, referring to the gods in the third person.

[82:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “walk.” The Hitpael stem indicates iterative action, picturing these ignorant “judges” as stumbling around in the darkness.

[82:5]  ⁵ sn These gods, though responsible for justice, neglect their duty. Their self-imposed ignorance (which the psalmist compares to stumbling around in the dark) results in widespread injustice, which threatens the social order of the world (the meaning of the phrase all the foundations of the earth crumble).

[24:18]  ⁶ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[24:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “from the height”; KJV “from on high.”

[24:18]  ⁸ sn The language reflects the account of the Noahic Flood (see Gen 7:11).