Ephesians 4:8

Whereforehe saith Or it, i.e. the Scripture, saith. St Paul's usage in quotation leaves the subject of the verb undetermined here and in similar cases (see e.g.ch. Ephesians 5:14). For him, the word of the Scripture and the word of its Author are convertible terms. "Wherefore" :as if to say, "the Scripture statement of courseanswers to the spiritual fact just given."

When he ascended, &c. Psalms 68 (LXX. 67) 18. The Heb. there is lit., "Thou didst ascend on high; Thou didst lead captive a captivity (a band of captives); Thou didst take gifts amongst men," or more lit., "in man." The LXX. renders, "When Thou didst ascend on high, Thou didst lead captive a captivity; Thou didst take gifts in man." The Targum, or Chaldee paraphrase, which is little likely to have been influenced by this passage, renders, "Thou hast givento them gifts, even to the sons of men."

On this quotation, we first examine the discrepancy between "takegifts" and "givegifts," and between "amongmen" and "for" or "tomen," and then briefly remark on the use made of the Psalmist's words by the Apostle.

α. The first discrepancy is not to be reconciled by an attempt to make the Heb. verb mean both "give" and "take." But what if the "taking" was for the purpose of "giving"? The Conqueror, Divine or human, in Psalms 68 may well be conceived as receivinggrants for distributionamong his vassals. If so, the Targum (see above) and the Apostle rightly convey the intention of the Psalmist.

" Amongmen"; "formen." The great compression of Hebrew poetical diction makes it quite possible to explain, "so as to beamong men." Thus again "to," or "for," will rightly convey the intention of the Psalmist, whatever were his precise and conscious thought in depicting the Conqueror as making gifts and grants to "man."

β. The "first reference" of Psalms 68 is a large and difficult question. See Dean Perowne's full statement of problems and theories in his Commentary on the Psalms; see too Dr Kay's notes. It is enough here to say that the Psalm celebrates, apparently, some great sacred triumph, or triumphs, at the Sanctuary of Zion; an occasion on which the supreme Conqueror, Jehovah, is represented as "ascending" after battle to His throne. One type of criticism will see in this nothing beyond a national Ode of Victory, and will regard the Apostle's quotation as an "unscientific" accommodation. For ourselves, believing that our Lord taught a very different view of the Ancient Scriptures, we feel free to recognize any "first reference" fairly provable, but also bound to believe that the Divine Author worked through the human author, so as to convey eternal and permanent truth through his imagery and words, and so as to make the whole terminate on Christ, whether or no the human author was aware of it. And we believe that the same Divine Author worked here through the memory and thought of the Apostle, so as to secure, in his quotation and exposition, the true development of the Divine intention of the earlier passage.

We thus accept the present verse as reciting a true testimony of the Spirit of Prophecy to the foreseen facts of the Ascension of the Divine Messiah after conflict and conquest, and the distribution of blessings consequent upon it. The "captivity" will denote whatever persons or powers are in any way His conquest; whether as "enemies under His feet" (1 Corinthians 15:25, &c.), or self-surrendered rebels reconciled to His will (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, &c.). For the thought, "He receivedgifts (to distribute) amongst men," cp. Acts 2:33.