Psalms 18:16 (KJV)

Passage

He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

Nearby Context

Psalms 18:14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

Psalms 18:15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

Psalms 18:16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

Psalms 18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

Psalms 18:18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sent", "above", "took", "drew", and "waters". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sent" and "above", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Then the channels of waters were seen..." into verse 17's "He delivered me from my strong enemy...", so "sent" and "above" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sent" and "above" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.