Ephesians 4:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Apostle used a refined expression here: "He gave gifts to men," although in the Psalter it is written: "Thou hast received gifts for men" (Ps 67:19). There it says "received" because this had not yet been accomplished, but was promised as future. But when the Apostle writes, He has already given gifts to men, and the churches have already been founded throughout the whole world. Therefore it is written here that He gave, and not that He received.

Therefore he says: "Ascending on high, He led captivity captive; He gave gifts among men." Above he had said: "To each of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift." To confirm these very gifts, which a little later he enumerates, he says: "And He Himself gave some as Apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers" (Eph 4:11). To show that this was given by the Savior, he took proof from the sixty-seventh psalm, so that we might know that the very spoil Christ won as conqueror was distributed to men. For, ascending on high, He led captivity captive.

We who now believe in Christ, having been gathered from the Gentiles, were God's creation, yet we had been captured by the devil and distributed under the power of his companions. Therefore our Lord Jesus Christ came, bringing with Himself, according to the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 12), the vessels of victory. He covered His head so that the enemies would not recognize Him. He preached release to those who were in captivity and held in bonds. He freed us from hostile bonds and chains, as He freed that woman in the Gospel of whom He Himself says: "Ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound eighteen years ago, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" (Lk 13:16).

Having freed us, and having torn us from the former captivity through a new captivity, He led us up with Himself into heaven. To those very ones whom He, as conqueror, snatched from the hand of enemies, He gave various gifts of grace. The Apostle used the refined expression, "He gave gifts among men," although in the Psalter it is written, "Thou hast received gifts among men" (Ps 67:19). There it says "received" because this had not yet been accomplished, but was promised as future. Here, when the Apostle writes, because He has already given, and because the churches have already been founded throughout the whole world, it is written that He gave and not that He received.

Some explain this passage by saying that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven in order to send from there the Angels and the other powers for the protection of His Churches. Since this earthly place is unworthy to be the dwelling of the higher powers, they are in a certain way as if in captivity. For this reason, they say, He ascended on high, that, having led captivity captive, He might give gifts to men.

Yet the Apostle says all this for this purpose. Having said above, "showing mutual forbearance in love, endeavoring to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph 4:2-3), he teaches that, amid differing gifts of grace, the Church remains in concord. No occasion is given for schisms and disagreements because each of us receives gifts according to the measure of Christ's gift. We do not all receive the same gifts, yet all are called into one body and one Spirit. That is, as there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God the Father, so we too are one and the same, since we preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

"You were exalted and magnified by raising up Your servants, the Israelites, who were captives and slaves to Pharaoh. You took gifts, that is, tributes, from the Egyptians and gave them to the Israelites." The God-inspired Paul took the two sons of Abraham, Hagar and Sarah, in an allegorical sense and showed what they prefigured. In the same way, by referring David's words mystically to Christ, he revealed their prophetic and mystical meaning. He took the people of Israel, captive and enslaved to Pharaoh, as an image of the human race. For men were captives and slaves of the devil, serving him by the worship of idols and doing his will through evil deeds. Therefore he spoke in the third person, saying "He gave," and not "He received." For Jesus Christ did not receive gifts from men. Having all authority "in heaven and on earth" (Mt 28:18), given Him by His Father, He gave His divine gifts to those who believe in Him. "Jesus Christ ascended on high," he says, that is, He ascended into heaven. He led captivity captive, that is, He drew and subjected under His authority the captive human race. He gave them His divine gifts. Thus the sacred mystagogue referred these prophetic words to Jesus Christ according to his usual manner. So also he said of Him: "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor 10:5). At the same time he taught that "the veil of the Old Testament is taken away" (2 Cor 3:16) when its words are applied to Jesus Christ. And since he mentioned a certain ascent, he leaves the order of his discourse and speaks, as it were, in passing. In the Greek original it stands in the third person: "He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men," not in the second person, "You led captivity captive," nor "You gave gifts to men."

Laquahetta, the Apostle says: "He gave gifts to men." This divergence from the known translations is explained by the use of the Hebrew word laquah, which means both to take and to give. The Apostle, in accordance with his thought, adopted the second meaning, though it is not contrary to the psalmist's thought. David speaks of the captivity and spoil which the Lord, as Victor over the disobedient, will gather for Himself. Such spoil, seized by the victor, according to the custom of all times, was divided among the soldiers. Thus the one who received gifts immediately distributed them. The Apostle rightly applies this expression to Christ. As Victor, He descended even to Hades and took great spoil and captivity, leading out of Hades the souls of all the righteous of the Old Testament. Then, as Victor, He began to distribute great rewards and gifts to those who took part with Him in the struggle against the devil.

Since the Lord, as Head, builds for Himself the body of the Church, He Himself also determines the measure of the gift, giving one talent to one and five to another. This action of God for our salvation is self-evident from the structure of the faith. But St. Paul sets it beside Old Testament indications and thereby gives it the force of eternal predestination" (Bishop Theophan). St. Chrysostom asks: "Of what captivity does the Apostle speak?" He answers: "Of the captivity of the devil. For the Lord took captive that tyrant, and death, and the curse, and sin." Blessed Jerome writes: "He descended even to Hades and ascended into the heavens. That He might fill those who were in those regions." "Sitting on the throne of glory, He fills all things with His authority, with the abundance of grace-filled gifts, signs, and wonders" (Bishop Theophan).

Christ first descended to the farthest limits of being, to the regions lower than the earth, that is, to the netherworld. He did this in order to subject all things, from bottom to top, to His authority, to fill all things with Himself, and only then to appear as the all-powerful Dispenser of gifts. Why the Apostle changes the words of the psalm so far as to alter their immediate meaning is a very difficult question. Instead of "He received gifts for men," he says, "He gave gifts." The most probable supposition is that the Apostle took into account the occasion on which David composed this messianic psalm. David had then won victory over his enemies and appointed the spoil taken from them for the building of the temple of God (2 Sam 8:11 and following; 1 Chr 19:8, 11). As David received gifts from the conquered in order to give them to the temple, so Christ received into His authority all heavenly blessings. He did this in order to distribute them, according to His will, to those who believe in Him, and thus to build a temple to God, that is, the Church. Consequently, the Apostle sets forth not the literal but the inner meaning of the psalm. That Christ ascended to heaven from the earth and not from Hades cannot speak against the correctness of this explanation. The Apostle is not giving us Christ's history, but only indicating the limits to which His authority extends.

The Spirit was not yet given while the Lord had not yet been glorified. But when He was glorified, receiving the glory which He had with the Father before the world existed, then the Holy Spirit came down to earth. The Holy Spirit is the source of the gifts of grace. Yet since the Lord, as Head, builds for Himself the body of the Church, He Himself also determines the measure of the gift: to one, one talent; to another, two; to another, five.

This divine action for our salvation is evident in itself from the order of the faith. Yet Saint Paul compares it with Old Testament prefigurations and thereby gives it the force of an eternal predetermination. The Holy Spirit showed Saint Paul a type of how the Lord, having ascended into heaven, distributes grace to each according to the measure of His gift. This type was in the procession of God, Who led the Israelites out of Egypt, brought them through the wilderness, then captured for them the promised land, and distributed it to the sons of Israel.

This procession is sung in Psalm 67: "Let God arise." Its content may be seen in these words: "Thy processions have been seen, O God" (Ps 67:25). The circumstance of how God distributed the captive land to the twelve tribes of Israel is depicted in the psalm in this way: "Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive; Thou hast received gifts among men" (Ps 67:19). The Apostle applies these words to the Lord, in order to show how He, having ascended into heaven, received into His keeping all gracious powers and distributes them to the faithful.

This application is clear in itself. The relation of type to that which is prefigured is obvious and needs no explanation. In the Prophet the second person is used, while in the Apostle Paul the third person is used. This is because the Prophet prayerfully depicted God's procession, whereas Saint Paul recalls it as an event. His speech may be read in this way: Scripture also says that He, having ascended on high, led captivity captive. It says this, that is, in the type there.

As for the fact that there it says, "Thou hast received," while the Apostle says, "He gave," this is explained by the original text. There stands a verb that means to receive, or to take, in order to give. Thus in Ex 25:2 God says: let them take for Me the firstfruits, that is, let them take and give to Me. In 3 Kingdoms 17:10 the Prophet Elijah says to the woman: take me some water in a vessel, or take me some bread. That is, take and give to me. In both these cases the same verb stands as in the psalm. Therefore "Thou hast received" will mean: Thou hast received and distributed, or taken and distributed gifts among men. Instead of saying, "He led captivity captive, took and distributed gifts," Saint Paul says directly: "He led captivity captive and gave gifts."

This indication of such a type suggests a new thought. The state of humiliation of Christ the Savior was only such in appearance. In reality it was a triumphal procession toward victory with rich spoil. The more humbled something appears, the more striking the victorious blow concealed under it. What is more humbled than death on the cross? Yet precisely that was the chief victory. By it death was trampled down, eternal righteousness was satisfied, heaven was reconciled with earth, and the treasury of God's mercies was opened. From it came even the resurrection itself, which could not fail to follow such a death.

What captivity did the Lord lead captive? When people speak of captivity, they usually understand captive persons. This is understood first, and then spoil is always also understood. Whom, then, did the Lord capture, and what spoil did He take? He captured our enemies: the devil, death, sin, and Hades. He took away from all of them those whom they had made captive and held in their tyranny. From the cross the Lord descended into Hades, brought out from there all the patriarchs, prophets, and righteous, and led them into His kingdom. After the Lord's ascension, they were the first to constitute the heavenly body of the Church under the Lord as Head. These enemies also lost their power over the whole human race. Therefore, as soon as someone believes in the Lord, they immediately retreat or are repelled from the believer.

Yet since the Apostle in this passage speaks of the Lord's distribution of grace, and cites in explanation the passage about the captivity He led captive, it is more direct here to understand by captivity all the divine powers that pertain to life and piety. This means everything acquired for us by the Lord according to the divine economy of salvation which He accomplished: the forgiveness of sins, new life, gifts of grace, adoption as sons, and eternal blessedness. He gives these gifts to all who approach Him by faith and always remain faithful to the faith.

Everything indicated here under the image of captivity is also signified by the holy fathers and teachers, one by one thing and another by another. Chrysostom says: "Of what captivity does the Apostle speak? Of the captivity of the devil. For the Lord captured this tyrant, I mean the devil, and death, and the curse, and sin." "And us," Theophylact adds, "who were under the devil and held by the enemies just mentioned."

Oecumenius completes this: "He took us captive, this good and saving captivity. Having defeated the devil in invisible warfare, He took us captive not in order to enslave us still more, but in order to deliver us from the bitter tyranny of the evil one." Blessed Jerome writes: "We had been captured by the devil and distributed to his accomplices. The Lord came, freed us from the bonds of enemies, and to the liberated ones whom He, as conqueror, snatched from the hands of enemies, He distributed various gifts of grace. This is the captivity He led captive. The Apostle recalls all this in order to teach the following. Since he had said earlier, 'endeavoring to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,' he teaches that, despite differing gifts, the Church is harmoniously concordant in herself. No occasion for divisions and disagreements is given by the fact that each received gifts according to the measure of Christ's gift, and not the same gifts."

Ambrosiaster speaks of the leading forth of those who were in Hades as captivity: "He emptied Hades, when He brought out from it the captives who were held there because of Adam's transgression and because of their own sins. Ascending from there, He led them up to heaven. Some of them rose then and appeared to many as a testimony of victory over death (Mt 27:52). Captives are usually strangers and are led into captivity against their will. But the Savior took His own captive, and not against their will. He took them captive by awakening in them, through His appearance among them, the desire to be freed."