The sorrows of death compassed me. Here begins the narrative of David's sufferings in the past. "'The sorrows'—or rather, 'the cords'—of death," he says, "encompassed me," or "coiled around me" (Kay).
Death is represented as a hunter, who goes out with nets and cords, encompassing his victims and driving them into the toils. David's recollection is probably of the time when he was "hunted upon the mountains" by Saul (1 Samuel 26:20), and expected continually to be caught and put to death (1 Samuel 19:1; 1 Samuel 23:15; 1 Samuel 27:1).
And the floods of ungodlymen made me afraid; literally, the torrents of Belial, or of ungodliness. The LXX. have χείμαῤῥοι, ἀνομίας. Streams of ungodly men, the myrmidons of Saul, cut him off from escape.