Ephesians 4:8

The Pulpit Commentary - Ephesians 4:7-16

VARIETY OF GIFTS IN CONNECTION WITH UNITY ; USE TO BE MADE OF THEM . read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Ephesians 4:7-16

Redemptive influence the gift of Christ. "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ephesians 4:8

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high he led captivity captive, and received gifts for men. The speaker is God, the author of Scripture, and the place is the sixty-eighth psalm. That psalm is a psalm of triumph, where the placing of the ark on Zion is celebrated as if it had been a great victory. As this quotation shows, the psalm in its deepest sense is Messianic, celebrating the victory of Christ. The substance rather than the words of the passage are given, for the second person... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ephesians 4:8-10

The Source of all the gifts. It is Christ himself in virtue of his exaltation. I. THE ASCENSION THE GROUND ALIKE OF THE FOUNDING , THE PRESERVATION , AND THE PERFECTION OF THE CHURCH , This historic circumstance is the sequel of our Lord's resurrection from the dead, and can only be rightly appreciated by marking its connection with the humiliation by which it was preceded. It was the Son of God who descended, and therefore it was the Son of God who... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Ephesians 4:8

Wherefore he saith - The word “he” is not in the original; and it may mean “the Scripture saith,” or “God saith.” The “point” of the argument here is, that Christ, when he ascended to heaven, obtained certain “gifts” for people, and that those gifts are bestowed upon his people in accordance with this. To “prove” that, he adduces this passage from Psalms 68:18. Much perplexity has been felt in regard to the “principle” on which Paul quotes this Psalm, and applies it to the ascension of the... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ephesians 4:7-10

Ephesians 4:7-10. But Though there be so many, and those infinitely important particulars, in which the true members of the church agree, and which furnish such powerful motives to love and unity, yet there are some things wherein they differ. For they occupy, by God’s appointment, different stations in the church, and for these they are fitted by different gifts. These distinctions, however, ought to be regarded by them, not as matters of emulation, and causes of contention, but rather as... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Ephesians 4:1-16

4:1-6:24 THE DAILY LIFE OF THE CHURCH MEMBERSUnity in the church (4:1-16)God’s great purposes for his church should produce a new quality in the lives of the church members. The blessings that God gives should not lead the believers to pride. On the contrary, when they see that these blessings are an indication of the standard God expects, they will develop a new humility. When people or circumstances annoy them and try their patience, they will show love by being patient and helpful... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Ephesians 4:8

When, &c . From Psalms 68:18 . See App-107 . up . Omit. on . App-104 . high . See Luke 1:78 . Rendered "height" in Ephesians 3:18 . Revelation 21:16 . led . . . captive . Greek. aichmaloteuo. Only here and 2 Timothy 3:6 . In Luke 21:24 . Rom 7:23 . 2 Corinthians 10:5 , the word is aichmalotizo. captivity = a body of captives. See Matthew 27:52 .Romans 1:4 . gave . Having received according to Psalms 68:18 , He gave . gifts . Greek. doma. Here; Matthew 7:11 .Luke 11:13... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 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... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Ephesians 4:8

8. Wherefore—"For which reason," namely, in order to intimate that Christ, the Head of the Church, is the author of all these different gifts, and that giving of them is an act of His "grace" [ESTIUS]. he saith—God, whose word the Scripture is (Psalms 68:18). When he ascended—GOD is meant in the Psalm, represented by the ark, which was being brought up to Zion in triumph by David, after that "the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies" (2 Samuel 6:1-7; 1 Chronicles 15:1-29).... read more

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