SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:8
Por lo cual dice: Subiendo a lo alto, llev cautiva la cautividad, y dio dones a los hombres.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ephesians 4:8
Verse 8. Wherefore he saith] The reference seems to be to Psalm lxviii. 18, which, however it may speak of the removal of the tabernacle, appears to have been intended to point out the glorious ascension of Christ after his resurrection from the dead. The expositions of various commentators have made the place extremely difficult. I shall not trouble my reader with them; they may be seen in Rosenmuller. When he ascended up on high] The whole of this verse, as it stands in the psalm, seems to refer to a military triumph. Take the following paraphrase: Thou hast ascended on high: the conqueror was placed in a very elevated chariot. Thou hast led captivity captive: the conquered kings and generals were usually bound behind the chariot of the conqueror, to grace the triumph. Thou host received gifts for (Paul, given gifts unto) men: at such times the conqueror was wont to throw money among the crowd. Even to the rebellious: those who had fought against him now submit unto him, and share his munificence; for it is the property of a hero to be generous. That the Lord God might dwell among them: the conqueror being now come to fix his abode in the conquered provinces, and subdue the people to his laws.
All this the apostle applies to the resurrection, ascension, and glory of Christ; though it has been doubted by some learned men whether the psalmist had this in view. I shall not dispute about this; it is enough for me that the apostle, under the inspiration of God, applied the verse in this way; and whatever David might intend, and of whatever event he might have written, we see plainly that the sense in which the apostle uses it was the sense of the Spirit of God; for the Spirit in the Old and New Testaments is the same. I may venture a short criticism on a few words in the original: Thou hast received gifts for men, dab twntm tjql lakachta mattanoth baadam, thou hast taken gifts in man, in Adam. The gifts which Jesus Christ distributes to man he has received in man, in and by virtue of his incarnation; and it is in consequence of his being made man that it may be said, The Lord God dwells among them; for Jesus was called Immanuel, God with us, in consequence of his incarnation. This view of the subject is consistent with the whole economy of grace, and suits well with the apostle's application of the words of the psalmist in this place.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 8. Wherefore he saith , &c.] God in the Scripture, ( Psalm 68:18) when he ascended up on high ; which is not to be understood of Moses's ascending up to the firmament at the giving of the law, as some Jewish writers interpret it; for though Moses ascended to the top of Mount Sinai, yet it is never said that he went up to the firmament of heaven; nor of David's going up to the high fortresses of his enemies, as another of those writers would have it; nor of God's ascent from Mount Sinai, when he gave the law, of which there is no mention in Scripture; but of the Messiah's ascension to heaven, which may very well be signified by this phrase, on high; (see <19A219> Psalm 102:19) ( Jeremiah 25:30), and which ascension is to be taken not in a figurative, but literal sense, and as real, local, and visible, as Christ's ascension to heaven was; being from Mount Olivet, attended by angels, in the sight of his apostles, after he had conversed with them from the time of his resurrection forty days; and which ascension of his was in order to fulfil the type of the high priest entering into the most holy place; and to make intercession for his people, and to send down the Spirit with his gifts and graces to them, and to make way and prepare mansions of glory for them, and receive the glory promised and due to him: in the Hebrew text it is, thou hast ascended; there the psalmist speaks to the Messiah, here the apostle speaks of him; though the Arabic and Ethiopic read there, he ascended, as here: he led captivity captive ; which is expressive of Christ's conquests and triumph over sin, Satan, the world, death, and the grave; and indeed, every spiritual enemy of his and his people, especially the devil, who leads men captive at his will, and is therefore called captivity, and his principalities and powers, whom Christ has spoiled and triumphed over; the allusion is to the public triumphs of the Romans, in which captives were led in chains, and exposed to open view f42 : and gave gifts unto men ; meaning the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and particularly such as qualify men for the work of the ministry; these he received dab , in man; in human nature, in that nature in which he ascended to heaven; hl[ml [wdyh dab , in the man that is known above f43 , as say the Jews; and these he bestows on men, even rebellious ones, that the Lord God might dwell among them, and make them useful to others: wherefore the Jews have no reason to quarrel with the version of the apostle as they do f44 ; who, instead of received gifts for men, renders it, gave gifts to men; since the Messiah received in order to give, and gives in consequence of his having received them; and so Jarchi interprets the words, ttl , to give them to the children of men; and besides, as a learned man has observed f45 , one and the same Hebrew word signifies to give and to receive; to which may be added that their own Targum renders it atbhy , and hast given gifts to the children of men; and in like manner the Syriac and Arabic versions of ( Psalm 68:18) render the words; very likely the apostle might use the Syriac version, which is a very ancient one: it was customary at triumphs to give gifts to the soldiers f46 , to which there is an allusion here.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-16 - Unto every believer is given some gift of grace, for their mutual help All is given as seems best to Christ to bestow upon every one. He received for them, that he might give to them, a large measure of gift and graces; particularly the gift of the Holy Ghost. Not a mere hea knowledge, or bare acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God, but suc as brings trust and obedience. There is a fulness in Christ, and measure of that fulness given in the counsel of God to every believer but we never come to the perfect measure till we come to heaven. God' children are growing, as long as they are in this world; and the Christian's growth tends to the glory of Christ. The more a man find himself drawn out to improve in his station, and according to his measure, all that he has received, to the spiritual good of others, he may the more certainly believe that he has the grace of sincere love and charity rooted in his heart. (Eph 4:17-24)
Greek Textus Receptus
διο 1352 λεγει 3004 5719 αναβας 305 5631 εις 1519 υψος 5311 ηχμαλωτευσεν 162 5656 αιχμαλωσιαν 161 και 2532 εδωκεν 1325 5656 δοματα 1390 τοις 3588 ανθρωποις 444
Vincent's NT Word Studies
8. Wherefore. Confirming by Scripture what has just been said.When He ascended, etc. Quoted from Psalm lxviii. 19 (Sept. lxvii. 18). The Hebrew reads: "Ascending to the height thou didst lead captive captivity, and received gifts in man." So Sept. Paul changes thou didst lead, didst receive, into he lead and he gave. The Psalm is Messianic, a hymn of victory in which God is praised for victory and deliverance. It is freely adapted by Paul, who regards its substance rather than its letter, and uses it as an expression of the divine triumph as fulfilled in Christ's victory over death and sin.
Ascended. The ascent of Jehovah is realized in Christ's ascent into heaven.
Captivity. Abstract for the body of captives. See on Luke iv. 18. The captives are not the redeemed, but the enemies of Christ's kingdom, Satan, Sin, and Death. Compare on Col. ii. 15, and 2 Cor. ii. 14. Gave. In the Hebrew and Septuagint, received or took; but with the sense received in order to distribute among men. Compare Gen. xv. 9, take for me: xviii. 5, I will fetch for you: Exod. xxvii. 20, bring thee, i.e., take and present to thee: Acts ii. 33, "Having received of the Father, etc., He hath shed forth." Thus Paul interprets the received of the Old Testament. His point is the distribution of grace by Christ in varied measure to individuals. He confirms this by Scripture, seeing in the Jehovah of this Old-Testament passage the Christ of the New Testament - one Redeemer under both covenants - and applying the Psalmist's address to Christ who distributes the results of His victory among His loyal subjects. These results are enumerated in ver. 11 sqq.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:8 {Wherefore he saith} (dio legei). As a confirmation of what Paul has said. No subject is expressed in the Greek and commentators argue whether it should be ho qeos (God) or he grafe (Scripture). But it comes to God after all. See #Ac 2:17. The quotation is from #Ps 68:18, a Messianic Psalm of victory which Paul adapts and interprets for Christ's triumph over death. {He led captivity captive} (eicmalwteusen aicmalwsian). Cognate accusative of aicmalwsian, late word, in N.T. only here and #Re 13:10. The verb also (aicmalwteuw) is from the old word aicmalwtos, captive in war (in N.T. only in #Lu 4:18), in LXX and only here in N.T.
