He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;
Parallel translations
- WEB He sent from on high and he took me. He drew me out of many waters.
- BSB He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
- NKJV “Hesent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters.
- NASB “He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.
- NLT “He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God reaches down from on high and draws David out of many waters. The Lord personally rescues him from drowning peril.
Overview
The image of being lifted from deep waters portrays salvation as God's gracious, hands-on deliverance. David contributes nothing but his cry; God does the saving. This pictures the gospel, in which God reaches down to draw us out of the waters of sin and death through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 43:2When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
- Ps 144:7Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;
- Ps 18:16He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
- Ps 130:1Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
- Ps 32:6For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
- Rev 17:15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
- Ps 59:1–2Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
- Ps 93:3–4The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
- Ps 124:4–5Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
- Exod 2:10And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
- Lam 3:54Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 22:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.