I posted a long comment on Mike’s blog today.

I always appreciate your integration of Greek into your posts. I never had the discipline to actually fully get into myself. It is interesting the KJV and Geneva Bibles do translate it similarly.

8 Wherefore it says,
“Having ascending to the height he led captive
captivity,
He gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:1-8 (your translation from the NA28 Greek text to English)

Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. KJV

⁸ Wherefore he saith, When he ascended upon high, he led ^[l]captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Geneva 

Geneva had this footnote.

 [l]Ephesians 4:8 A multitude of captives

Btw since I have not directly studied Greek, I do often take the time to check your discussions, using a nice link from my KJV app to Thayers or Strongs or Brown-Driver-Briggs for the Hebrew. It’s a bit cumbersome but given my forgetfulness I’d probably have to do that anyway. Your analysis of the Greek here is spot on!

A couple of other comments:

The Martyn Lloyd-Jones quote is quite similar to what Old John Gill said a few hundred year before.

“It is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ leading in His triumphal train the devil and hell and sin and death–the great enemies that were against man and which has held mankind in captivity for so long a time. The princes which had controlled that captivity are now being led captive themselves.” JONES

he led captivity captive; which is expressive of Christ’s conquests and triumph over sin, Satan, the world, death, and the grave; and indeed, every spiritual enemy of his and his people, especially the devil, who leads men captive at his will, and is therefore called captivity, and his principalities and powers, whom Christ has spoiled and triumphed over; the allusion is to the public triumphs of the Romans, in which captives were led in chains, and exposed to open view (s): GILL

Anyway sorry for the long post, I sort of used your post as a morning Bible Study.

I also noted Gill referred his readers back to the Hebrew original text…since Paul was quoting this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Wherefore he saith,…. God in the Scripture, Psa 68:18 

Psalms 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, forthe rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

That verse and the phrases, ”Wherefore it says” and the “gifts to men” are for another study!

He led captivity captive

I would add that Old John Gill’s commentary on the Psalm text was a bit different. There is quite a bit of meat here:

Psalms 68:18 Gill

Thou hast ascended on high,…. Which is to be understood, not of Moses ascending up to the firmament, as the Targum and Jarchi interpret it, of which we nowhere read; nor of David’s going up to the high fortresses, as Aben Ezra; nor of God’s ascent from Mount Sinai; but of Christ’s ascension to heaven, as the apostle cites and explains it in Eph 4:8; which ascension respects him as man, was not figurative, as in Gen 17:22; but real and local, from earth to heaven, and was certain and visible; he was seen to go up by angels and men; and, because of the certainty of it, it is here expressed in the past tense, though it was then future;

thou hast led captivity captive; meaning either such who had been captives, in which sense the word is used, Psa 126:1; and so may design either those who had been prisoners in the grave, but were set free at Christ’s resurrection, and went with him in triumph to heaven; or all his people, whom he redeemed by his blood from that captivity and bondage they were in by nature; or rather those who led them captive are here meant by “captivity”; such as sin, Satan, the world, death, and every spiritual enemy, whom Christ conquered and triumphed over; the allusion may be to public triumphs, when captives were led in chains, even kings and great men, that had captivated others: the words seem to be borrowed out of Jdg 5:12;

thou hast received gifts for men; the gifts of the Holy Spirit, qualifying men for the ministry of the Gospel, as they are interpreted by the Apostle, Eph 4:11; these Christ received from his divine Father in human nature, when he ascended up to heaven, in order to give them to men; and which he did in a very extraordinary manner on the day of Pentecost. The Targum and Syriac version render it, “thou hast given gifts to men”; and the Arabic version, “and he gave gifts to men”, as the apostle, Eph 4:8;

yea, for the rebellious also; disobedient and unbelieving (m), as all men are by nature, even God’s elect, before conversion, Tit 3:3; who are not only called by grace, and have the blessings of grace bestowed upon them; but some of them have gifts given them, whereby they are fitted to preach the Gospel to others, as Saul, the blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious; and some of those among the Jews, that were concerned in the crucifixion of Christ: though some think the Gentiles are intended, on whom the Holy Spirit was poured forth after our Lord’s ascension; and so the Targum interprets it of the rebellious, who become proselytes, and return by repentance;

that the Lord God might dwell among them; that is, that they, by the gifts and graces of the Spirit bestowed on them, might become a fit habitation for God; or that “they”, the rebellious, being now partakers of the grace of God and his gifts, “might dwell with the Lord God” (n) in his churches; enjoy his divine presence, and have communion with him in his word and ordinances.

(m) סודרים απειθουντες Sept. “non credentes”, V. L. (n) לשכן “ut habitent cum Jah, Jehovah”, Piscator; “cum Deo”, Gejerus; “ut habitent pulchritudinem Dei”, Cocceius.

You can drill 5his down one more level…

Judges 5:12 Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

Judges 5:12 Gill

Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song, &c. Either perceiving some languor and remissness in her spirits, while she was delivering this song, and therefore arouses herself to attend to this service with more ardour and zeal; or rather finding herself more impressed with a sense of the great and good things the Lord had done for Israel, calls upon her soul to exert all its powers in celebrating the praises of the Lord, and therefore repeats the word awake so often as she does:

arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam; for though the whole army of Sisera was destroyed, that not a man was left, Jdg 4:16 yet as Barak pursued to Harosheth of the Gentiles, many there and in other places which fell into his hands, that belonged to Jabin, might be taken captive by him; and though the Canaanites were to be slain, yet they might first be led captive in triumph; and besides, there might be some of other nations that were taken by him in this war; see Psa 68:18.

Mike did refer to that verse and another in Amos.

Amos 1:6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:

Amos 1:6 Gill

Thus saith the Lord, for three transgressions of Gaza,…. The chief city of the Philistines, and put for the whole country, and designs the inhabitants of it:

and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; See Gill on Amo 1:3;

because they carried away captive the whole captivity; which cannot be understood of the captivity of the whole nation, either of Israel or Judah, who were never carried captive by the Philistines; but of their carrying away all the substance of the house of Jehoram king of Judah, and of all his sons and his wives, and left him not one son but the youngest, 2Ch 21:17;

to deliver them up to Edom: or, “to shut them up in Edom” (o); which country also revolted from Jehoram, when he and the captains of his chariots going out against them, were corn passed in by them, Amo 1:8. Some think this refers to the time when Sennacherib invaded Judea, and many of the Jews fled to Palestine for help, but instead of being sheltered were delivered up to the Edomites; but this was in the times of Hezekiah, after Amos had prophesied, and therefore cannot be referred to; and for the same reason this cannot be applied to the Edomites and Philistines invading and smiting Judah, and carrying them captive, 2Ch 28:17.

(o) להסגיר לאדום του συγκλεισαι εις την ιδουμαιαν, Sept. “ut concluderent eam in Idumea”, V. L. “ad concludeadum in Edom”, Montanus.