Ephesians 4:8

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, And gave gifts unto men.

"This quotation is from Psalms 68:18; but Paul altered it, from Thou didst take gifts to He gave gifts!"[17] Wesley's explanation is the usual one; but it is perhaps better to understand this as a Scripture that Paul was here writing, not one that he was merely quoting. This would be to understand "wherefore he saith" as meaning "Thus saith the Lord," after the manner of Old Testament prophets. There is an obvious allusion here to one of Paul's favorite comparisons, that of the conquering Christ leading the type of triumphal parade affected by Roman emperors.

Again and again, we have noted in Paul's letters passages which the scholars have attempted to identify as "garbled" or "altered" quotations from the Old Testament. It is very probable, however, that here the inspired Paul was writing new Scripture, not merely quoting old passages. Naturally, the new Scripture would use terminology used by other sacred writers, the thought being distinctly new as it is in the passage before us. The importance of this regarding the authorship of this epistle will not be lost on the discerning student. No pseudonymous writer could have done such a thing innocently; such an act, if it had been done, would necessarily have been grounded in a deliberate purpose of fraud and deception. As Bruce pointed out, the first three words of this verse may be translated in either of two ways, thus: "Wherefore he (i.e., God) saith, or Wherefore it (i.e., Scripture) saith."[18] Since it is clear that the Scriptures do not say what Paul wrote here, the conclusion is reasonable that the first of these renditions is the correct one.

Led captivity captive ... See discussion of "The Triumph Metaphor" under 2 Corinthians 2:14 in my Commentary on 2Corinthians. Interpreting this as Paul's own Scripture, not a quotation, we shall look to this metaphor, which was one of Paul's favorites, for the probable meaning here. Christ is represented as the mighty conqueror, leading in his train of captives "captivity" itself, a personification of all of the bondage which oppresses human life, such as "captivity to death," the imprisonment of our mortality, "the captivity to sin" (2 Timothy 2:26), etc.

And gave gifts unto men ... This is the part of the so-called quotation that is in no sense whatever "a quotation." Referring this passage to the Old Testament (Psalms 68:18) "reveals the picture of a victorious king ascending the mountain of the Lord in triumphal procession, attended by a long train of captives, receiving tribute from his new subjects."[19] The conquering Christ, however, is represented as distributing gifts to men. The New Testament is the record of the rich and glorious nature of the gifts of Christ to those who love him. His "unsearchable riches" are freely lavished upon his own. See my comments in Ephesians 4:9 on "ascended."

[17] John Wesley, op. cit., in loco.

[18] F. F. Bruce, op. cit., p. 82.

[19] Ibid.