Psalms 144:7
Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;
Original Language Analysis
שְׁלַ֥ח
Send
H7971
שְׁלַ֥ח
Send
Strong's:
H7971
Word #:
1 of 10
to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)
מִ֝יַּ֗ד
from the hand
H3027
מִ֝יַּ֗ד
from the hand
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
2 of 10
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
מִמָּ֫ר֥וֹם
from above
H4791
מִמָּ֫ר֥וֹם
from above
Strong's:
H4791
Word #:
3 of 10
altitude, i.e., concretely (an elevated place), abstractly (elevation, figuratively (elation), or adverbially (aloft)
וְ֭הַצִּילֵנִי
me and deliver
H5337
וְ֭הַצִּילֵנִי
me and deliver
Strong's:
H5337
Word #:
5 of 10
to snatch away, whether in a good or a bad sense
מִמַּ֣יִם
waters
H4325
מִמַּ֣יִם
waters
Strong's:
H4325
Word #:
6 of 10
water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen
רַבִּ֑ים
me out of great
H7227
רַבִּ֑ים
me out of great
Strong's:
H7227
Word #:
7 of 10
abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)
מִ֝יַּ֗ד
from the hand
H3027
מִ֝יַּ֗ד
from the hand
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
8 of 10
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
Cross References
Psalms 18:16He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.Revelation 17:15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.Psalms 18:44As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.Psalms 54:3For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.2 Samuel 22:17He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;
Historical Context
David faced numerous 'strange children': Philistines (1 Samuel 17-18), Ammonites and Syrians (2 Samuel 10), and Absalom's coalition (2 Samuel 15-18). Each crisis felt like drowning in overwhelming forces. God's 'hand from above' delivered through both miraculous intervention and providential circumstances. The exile later fulfilled this prayer's opposite—God removing His protective hand (Lamentations 5:8).
Questions for Reflection
- What 'great waters' (overwhelming circumstances, spiritual darkness, opposition) threaten to drown you, and how do you pray for God's hand to reach down?
- How does baptism symbolize both drowning (death with Christ) and rescue (resurrection from waters) by God's hand?
- Why do enemies of God's people often appear as 'flood' or 'waters' in Scripture, and what does this teach about spiritual warfare?
Analysis & Commentary
Send thine hand from above (שְׁלַח יָדֶיךָ מִמָּרוֹם)—Shelach yadekha mimarom (send forth your hand from the height) portrays God reaching down from heaven to rescue drowning David. Rid me, and deliver me out of great waters (palteni vehatssileni mimayim rabbim)—'great waters' symbolizes chaos, death, and overwhelming danger (Psalm 18:16, 69:1-2, Jonah 2:3).
From the hand of strange children (מִיַּד בְּנֵי־נֵכָר)—benei nekhar (sons of foreignness) means foreign enemies, covenant outsiders threatening God's anointed king. The waters/foreigners combination suggests both military invasion and spiritual-cosmic threat. Christ experienced literal 'great waters' (calming storms) and metaphorical ones (death's flood), from which God's hand raised Him (Acts 2:24).