“He will spread.” The “he” is Moab, portrayed as a man who spreads out his hands to swim out of the manure muck, but will not succeed. The simile of Moab as a swimmer portrays the pride and arrogance of the people of Moab, who are trampled in the manure but instead of realizing their situation and humbling themselves before God, try to swim out of the mess they are in by their own strength. But they do not succeed.