sion may be referred He gave, ver. 11, and is given, and of the gift, ver. 7. In Hebrew, nnp7 is an abbreviated expression ; to wit, Christ received gifts, which He might immediately give. Comp. np^>, Gen. xv. 9 [" Take me an heifer," abbreviated for, Take and sacrifice to me] ; 2 Kings ii. 20 ; where sudden action is denoted by a concise expression ; so Xafi'sruffav cot, Ex. xxvii. 20 ; Lev. xxiv. 2. — roTs avfyuvois, for men) The dative of advan tage for DlfcO. Gifts are of advantage, not only to those who receive them, but to all.
9. To ds, a/spy, Now this fact, namely, that He ascended) Paul proves that the language of the psalm is to be referred to Christ ; and the ascension is inferred from the descent ; John iii. 13. All beheld the sojourn of the Son of God upon the earth : they ought, from this fact, to have believed His ascension, which they did not see. There is a similar mode of reasoning at Acts ii. 29, etc., xiii. 36, 37 ; and especially at Heb. ii. 8, 9. The humble characteristics predicated of the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus ; therefore the glorious things also predicated of the Messiah ought to be referred to Him. — xarefiTi npurov, He first descended) Paul takes for granted the Deity of Christ ; for those who are of the earth, although they did not previously descend, obtain the pri vilege of ascent. — sis ra xarurspa ptpr} rr\c, y?\g) not merely to the earth itself, but to the loivest parts of the earth [so that through all its depths nothing did He leave unvisited; comp. ver. 10. — V.g.] The highest heavens, or all the heavens, are opposed to the lowest parts of the earth, or to all parts of the earth. Christ, by His own power, took possession of all, — first of the earth, then of heaven. Men are joined with the mention of the earth ; the cap tivity is joined with the mention of the lower parts. — r%g y5j$, of the earth) in which men are.
10. Avrbg) He, not another. — vvzpdvu ^dvruv ruv ovpavuv, far above all heavens) A very sublime expression. Christ not only ascended into heaven, Mark xvi. 19, but through the heavens, Heb. iv. 14, note; above all heavens ; the heaven [heavens] of heavens, Deut. x. 14. — wXTjpwtfjj, might fill) by His presence and opera tions, ivith Himself. — ra vavra) all things, the lowest and the highest ; comp. Jer. xxiii. 24, where also the LXX. use the word
11. Aurog, He himself) by His supreme power. This
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