Mazmur 18:16

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

he pulled me from the surging water. ² 

Yesaya 50:2

50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?

Why does no one respond when I call? ³ 

Is my hand too weak ⁴  to deliver ⁵  you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout ⁶  I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water. ⁷ 

[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).

[50:2]  ³ sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.

[50:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ⁵ tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “with my rebuke.”

[50:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”