Psalms 68:18

Thou hast ascended on high Lit. thou hast gone up to the height. Cp. Psalms 147:5. -The height" elsewhere means heaven, though we find such a phrase as -the height of Zion" (Jeremiah 31:12).Probably the poet did not make any sharp distinction between the triumphant return of Jehovah to heaven (as we speak), and the triumphant procession to His earthly abode which was the symbol of it.

thou hast led captivity captive For the phrase cp. Judges 5:12. -Captivity" is not, as the English reader might suppose, a personification of the hostile powers which had led Israel captive, but the abstract for the concrete, equivalent to a body of captives. To obviate misunderstanding, R.V. gives -thy captivity." The captive enemies of Israel are meant, not, as some modern commentators suppose, referring to Isaiah 24:21 ff., rebellious heavenly powers, nor, as Kay thinks, the Israelites themselves, though 2 Corinthians 2:14 (R.V.) would give a good parallel for this meaning.

thou hast received gifts for men An impossible rendering, influenced probably by the quotation in Ephesians 4:8. R.V. rightly, among men. The -gifts" offered to the king as Jehovah's representative and appropriated to the service of the Temple (2 Samuel 8:2; 2 Samuel 8:6; 2 Samuel 8:11; 1 Kings 4:21), are regarded as offered to Him as the real Conqueror.

yea,for the rebellious also R.V., Yea, (among) the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell (with them): marg., there. -The rebellious" are commonly understood to be the heathen, who pay homage to Jehovah, and dwell under His protection. But (see note on Psalms 68:6) the term is generally applied to the Israelites; and the line may be rendered, Yea, even the stubborn (are content) to dwell with Jah Elohim. Even the successors (in spirit) of the stubborn and rebellious generation of the wilderness are subdued when they see Jehovah's triumphs, and are content to become His obedient subjects. For construction and thought cp. Psalms 5:4; Isaiah 33:14. Another alternative is to take Jahas the subject of the infin., Yea, even the stubborn (are content) that Jah Elohim should dwell (among them). Cp. Psalms 78:60; Exodus 25:8; &c. So apparently the LXX.

St Paul quotes this verse in Ephesians 4:8 in the form, "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men," applying it to the spiritual gifts showered upon the Church by the risen and ascended Christ. How came he to substitute "gave gifts unto men" for "received gifts among men"? The Targum paraphrases the verse thus; "Thou didst ascend to the firmament, O prophet Moses! thou didst lead captivity captive; thou didst teach the words of the law; thou didst give gifts to the sons of men." Similarly the Syriac, which may have been influenced by Jewish exegesis, has, "Thou didst give gifts to the sons of men." Now though the Targum in its present form is much later than St Paul's time, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the oral paraphrase then current already interpreted the verse in this way, and St Paul quotes it in the form familiar to him, without pausing to think whether it was an exact rendering of the original or not. But though the quotation is not verbally exact it is deeply significant. The triumph of Jehovah over the enemies of Israel prefigured the triumph of Christ over the spiritual enemies of the Church: or rather may we not say more truly that they are both parts of the same divine plan of redemption working first in the natural and then in the spiritual order? Christ ascended up to heaven, leading the defeated powers of evil in triumph (Colossians 2:15). There He performs a yet more royal function than receiving gifts from men, (though of course it would be also true to say that He receives gifts); He bestows them. Spiritual victory corresponds to temporal: the bestowal of gifts of grace to the reception of gifts of homage. For a full discussion of the passage see Driver in The Expositor, 1889, i. pp. 20 ff.