2 Samuel 22:17 New English Translation

¹⁷He reached down from above and grabbed me;^[a]
he pulled me from the surging water.^[b]

2 Samuel 22:17 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.
2 Samuel 22:17 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. 5 and Ps 144:7).

New English Translation (NET)