Ephesians 4:9. It is not necessary to regard Ephesians 4:9-10 as parenthetical.

Now introduces an explanatory statement, not a proof, of the correctness of the application of Ephesians 4:8.

That he ascended, i.e., the fact that He ascended, not the word, since the form here differs from that in Ephesians 4:8.

What is it, what does it imply, but that he also descended. It is assumed, since the reference in the Old Testament is to God, and here to the Messiah, that heaven is the point of departure and place of return for Him who is spoken of. This is the original dwelling place of Christ (John 3:13), and He could not ascend to give gifts to men without previously descending. But whither? Paul says, into the lower parts of the earth. It is quite grammatical to explain this as, ‘the lower parts, namely, the earth,' and this is all that is necessarily involved in what precedes. But the contrast with Ephesians 4:10, and the evident design to show the power of Christ, favors the view, held by ancient expositors and a number of recent commentators, that the Apostle refers to Christ's descent into Hades. Either view is doctrinally admissible and grammatically defensible; probably the more ancient one is preferable, if it be guarded against unwarrantable inferences. The other explanations, referring the phrase to lowliness, to burial, to the womb of the Virgin, especially the first, must be regarded as untenable.

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Old Testament