Psalm
68:18
Thou hast ascended on high, thou
hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the
rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
a. NLT: When you
ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the LORD God will live among us there.
1). I believe the
New Living Translation totally blows it on the verse. It is so bad I almost
didn’t include it.
b. NIV: When you
ascended on high, you took many captives; you received gifts from people, even
from the rebellious— that you, LORD God, might dwell there.
c. Young’s Literal
Translation: Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast taken captive captivity,
Thou hast taken gifts for men, That even the refractory may rest, O Jah God.
d. Amplified
Bible: You have ascended on high. You have led away captive a train of
vanquished foes; You have received gifts of men, yes, of the rebellious also,
that the Lord God might dwell there with them.
e. Septuagint: Thou
art gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou hast received gifts
for man, yea, for they were rebellious, that thou mightest
dwell among them.
f. Stone Edition
Torah/Writings/Prophets [Psalm 68:19]: You ascended on high, You have taken captives,
You took gifts of man and even of rebels, to dwell with YAH, God.
g. ArtScroll
Tanach, Tehillim[Psalm 68:19]: You ascended on high, having taken captives. You
took gifts for man, that even rebels may dwell with YAH God.
h. In light of the
most accurate translation given by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:8, in which
he translates the first half of this verse, the best translations are the
Septuagint, Young’s Literal Translation, and the Art Scroll Tehillim.
1. “Thou hast ascended on high, thou
hast led captivity captive…”
a. ascended [5927
* ‘alah][Strong: a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or
actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary,
literal and figurative (as follow):--arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once,
break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, + shew,
climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel,
fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap,
levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, X mention, mount up, offer, make to
pay, + perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up),
scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away
(up), work.]
b. high [4791 *
marowm][Strong: from 7311 ; altitude, i.e. concretely (an elevated place),
abstractly (elevation, figuratively (elation), or adverbially (aloft):--(far)
above, dignity, haughty, height, (most, on) high (one, place), loftily, upward.]
c. captivity [7628
* shebiy][Strong: from 7618; exiled; captured; as noun, exile (abstractly
or concretely and collectively); by extension, booty:--captive(-ity),
prisoners, X take away, that was taken.]
d. captive [7617 *
shabah][Strong: a primitive root; to transport into captivity:--(bring away,
carry, carry away, lead, lead away, take) captive(-s), drive (take) away.]
e. This verse has
to be interpreted in light of the New Testament. The Apostle Paul’s use of this
verse in the Lord’s fulfilling the redemption of man gives us the proper
interpretation and application of this verse.
1). Ephesians
4:8-11 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men.
4:9 (Now that he
ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth?
4:10 He that
descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he
might fill all things.)
4:11 And he gave
some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors
and teachers;
2). The ascending
on high is a reference to Christ Jesus ascending into the heavens to sit on the
right hand of God after his resurrection. The leading “captivity captive” is a
reference to Christ Jesus, after his resurrection securing those who were in
Abraham’s bosom and taking them to heaven. All those righteous dead who died in
Covenant with God went to Abraham’s bosom, a place next to hell in the center
of the earth.
a). Luke 16:19-31 There was a
certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a
certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to
be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs
came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to
pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom:
the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he
lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in
his bosom.
24 And he cried
and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip
the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this
flame.
25 But Abraham
said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and
likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all
this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would
pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come
from thence.
27 Then he said, I
pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five
brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of
torment.
29 Abraham saith
unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said,
Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said
unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
3). The section of hell
where the rich man is located is mentioned in other parts of Scripture. It is
associated with another term referred to as “the pit”, a place located in the “nether
parts of the earth”.
a). Ezekiel
32:17-32 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the
month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
32:18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of
Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations,
unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
32:19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go
down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
32:20 They shall fall in the midst of them
that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all
her multitudes.
32:21 The strong among the mighty shall
speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone
down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
32:22 Asshur is there and all her company:
his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
32:23 Whose graves are set in the sides of
the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by
the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living.
32:26 There is Elam and all her multitude
round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone
down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their
terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that
go down to the pit.
32:25 They have set her a bed in the midst
of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of
them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the
land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to
the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain.
32:26 There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her
multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by
the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
32:27 And they shall not lie with the mighty
that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their
weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their
iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty
in the land of the living.
32:28 Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst
of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.
32:29 There is Edom, her kings, and all her
princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword:
they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.
32:30 There be the princes of the north, all
of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their
terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them
that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the
pit.
32:31 Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be
comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the
sword, saith the Lord God.
32:32 For I have caused my terror in the
land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with
them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith
the Lord God.
4). Those who died
in Covenant with God could not go to heaven until the blood of Christ was
placed on the Mercy Seat in the heavenly Holies of Holies. This essential part
of the Covenant is mentioned in the book of Hebrews.
a). Hebrew 9:11-14 But Christ being come an high priest
of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with
hands, that is to say, not of this building;
9:12 Neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the
holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
9:13 For if the
blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
9:14 How much more
shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God?
5). After Jesus placed his blood on the
heavenly Holy of Holies, he led those who were held in Abraham’s bosom to
heaven. Some scholars have written that the “cloud” that received Jesus out of
the sight of the disciples at his ascension is the same cloud of witnesses mentioned
in Hebrews.
a). Acts 1:9 And
when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a
cloud received him out of their sight.
b). Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore
seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us
run with patience the race that is set before us,
2. “…thou hast received gifts for
men…”
a. received [3947
* laqach][Strong: a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of
applications):--accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, X
many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing,
up), use, win.]
b. gifts [4979 * mattna][Strong:
feminine of 4976; a present; specifically (in a good sense), a sacrificial
offering, (in a bad sense) a bribe:--gift.]
c. In light of the
Apostle Paul’s God inspired interpretation of the passage, the “gifts for men”
are the 5 fold ministries for the church.
1). Ephesians 4:8-13
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and
gave gifts unto men.
4:9 (Now that he
ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth?
4:10 He that
descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he
might fill all things.)
4:11 And he gave
some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors
and teachers;
4:12 For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ:
4:13 Till we all
come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
d. Though not
directly mentioned as one of the gifts in the Ephesian passage we have to
include the outpouring of the Holy Ghost as one of the “gifts” since it is the Holy
Spirit who empowers the fivefold ministry.
1). Acts 1:8 But ye
shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth.
2). Acts 2:38 Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost.
e. I personally
believe that the “spoil” mentioned in Isaiah in reference to the prophetic
substitutionary death of Christ Jesus is the power, authority and overall
inheritance that Christ Jesus won for us.
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