Introduction

The Greek text of Ephesians 4:8 includes this clause: ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν (He led captivity captive OR He led a body of captives into captivity).

The epistle lesson for St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Sept. 21st), is Ephesians 4:7-16. Those two words (in Greek) carry quite the punch! What did the death of Christ accomplish? It was not clear at the cross (although we are given hints even there), but it starts to become much clearer in His resurrection and in a particular way in His ascension.

Text

Greek Text

Here is the full text followed by my translation:

{7}Ἑνὶ δὲ ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ χριστοῦ. {8}Διὸ λέγει, Ἀναβὰς εἰς ὕψος ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν, καὶ ἔδωκεν δόματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. {9}Τὸ δέ, Ἀνέβη, τί ἐστιν εἰ μὴ ὅτι καὶ κατέβη πρῶτον εἰς τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆς; {10}Ὁ καταβάς, αὐτός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὰ πάντα. {11}Καὶ αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν τοὺς μὲν ἀποστόλους, τοὺς δὲ προφήτας, τοὺς δὲ εὐαγγελιστάς, τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους, {12}πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων, εἰς ἔργον διακονίας, εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ χριστοῦ· {13}μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ χριστοῦ· {14}ἵνα μηκέτι ὦμεν νήπιοι, κλυδωνιζόμενοι καὶ περιφερόμενοι παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας, ἐν τῇ κυβείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐν πανουργίᾳ πρὸς τὴν μεθοδείαν τῆς πλάνης· {15}ἀληθεύοντες δὲ ἐν ἀγάπῃ αὐξήσωμεν εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλή, ὁ χριστός, {16}ἐξ οὗ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα συναρμολογούμενον καὶ συμβιβαζόμενον διὰ πάσης ἁφῆς τῆς ἐπιχορηγίας, κατ᾽ ἐνέργειαν ἐν μέτρῳ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου μέρους, τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ σώματος ποιεῖται εἰς οἰκοδομὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ.

English Translation

And in English (as best I can as of today):

{7}But to each one of us grace is given corresponding to the measure of Christ's gift. {8}Therefore, one says: "Having ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and He gave gifts to people." {9}But what does this ascent mean, but that He had previously descended into the lower regions of the earth? {10}He who descended is Himself also the One who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order that He might fill all things. {11}And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds (pastors) and teachers, {12}for the outfitting of the saints for a work of service, for building up of the body of Christ; until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of God, a place belonging to a perfect man, even one measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we are no longer infant children, tossed to and fro by every doctrinal wind that blows, by the deceitful tricks people play, by the knavery employed with the craft of deception; {15} but by speaking truth in love, we grow up in all things into Him, who is the head, even Christ, {16}from whom the whole body, fitted and joined together through that which every joint supplies, corresponding to the power exerted within due limits of each individual part, produces growth in the body to the edifying of itself in love.

Interpretation

Apparently, it was common among Christians to say that Christ "led captivity captive" or that Christ "captured captivity." Perhaps, this was part of their liturgical confession of the truth, but no matter from where the statement arose, it does fit the Gospel story perfectly, and Paul quotes it with due admiration of the feat which Christ pulled off in His redemptive work.

The ascent of Christ to the place that is above all the heavens presupposes that He first (previously) had descended to the lower regions of the earth. From this statement we are reminded of the truth confessed in the Apostles' Creed that Jesus "descended into hell." And we remember the words of Peter in the third chapter of his First Epistle:

{18}For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, {19}by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, {20}who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. (1 Peter 3:18-20 NKJV)

Perhaps, we are justified to suppose that those "spirits in prison" (in 1 Peter 3:18-20) are rightly to be considered among the captives bound by a captivity that Jesus has now led into captivity. But what exactly Peter means is unclear. What is clear is that Christ's suffering was a once-and-done event. He "suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God..." But what remains shrouded in mystery is what precisely Jesus proclaimed/preached to those spirits. Without additional revelation, we can only speculate.

However, the fact that Paul speaks of Christ's descent "into the lower regions of the earth" in Ephesians 4:7-16 (especially verses 9 and 10) and so does appear to reference this same event about which Peter writes does in fact tip the balance back somewhat to the view that Christ is not taking a victory lap to mock His enemies in hell when He "preaches to the spirits in prison," at least as it pertains to this one group of those who died in the Great Deluge of Noah's day. But what He proclaims to them, we simply do not know.

But we do know that Christ captured captivity.

The ESV opts for "he led a host of captives," following as it would appear some earlier English translations including the NIV ("he led captives in his train") and the NASB ("HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES"). This is one possible lexical understanding of αἰχμαλωσία, to be sure, but Paul could have chosen the plural noun (οἱ αἰχμάλωτοι) "prisoners of war," if that's what he meant. Moreover, the collective use ("a body/host of captives") doesn't make as much sense here as does the abstract and more basic meaning of αἰχμαλωσία ("captivity"), for why would the early Christians (and Paul after them) exult in the fact that Christ took into captivity those who were already captives? What would that even mean?

So Christ captured captivity. That is something unequaled in all of human history. A never-before-done event. Sure, there have been releases of captives temporarily bound in some captivity. But here we have something altogether unparalleled. Here the very concept or thought of captivity (and every expression of that thought in brutal, concrete form in human history) is itself captured by Christ, whose resurrection and ascension signal the start of something new and undying. The significance of such an event is beyond cosmic in scope. It is eternal as well. Even the very memory of former captivity is either gone outright or so dim in the present glorious light of eternal victory for those who are in Christ, that it is, for all intents and purposes, stripped of all its woe upon the human spirit.

Jesus captured captivity itself, and so brings eternal blessing and joy to those unjust (unrighteous and sinful) humans now made just (forgiven and righteous) by His death. This is why the cross of Jesus demolishes human pride and elevates human joy, because humanity is no longer the enemy of God, for in Jesus' death for sinners, God is reconciled to the world through Jesus.

{14}For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; {15}and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. {16}Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. {17}Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. {18}Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, {19}that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. {20}Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. {21}For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21 NKJV)

Miscellaneous Lexical Notes

• ᾐχμαλώτευσεν (αἰχμή, ἡ - spear, point of a spear) (αἰμαλωτίζω / αἰχμαλωτεύω: to make prisoner of war)
• αἰχμάλωτος, -ον: taken by the spear or taken in war, prisoner of war
• αἰχμαλωσίαν: αἰχμαλωσία: 1. captivity; 2. a body of captives
• ἐν πανουργίᾳ: by a knavery, villainy, trickery
• μεθοδείαν: craft, artifice
• συναρμολογούμενον καὶ συμβιβαζόμενον:
  • συναρμολογούμενον: framed accurately together
  • συμβιβαζόμενον: brought together, put together, compared; proven; taught, instructed
• διὰ πάσης ἁφῆς τῆς ἐπιχορηγίας:
  • ἁφῆς: ἀφή, ἡ: joint, fastening; a lighting, kindling; touching, handling; the sense of touch (ἅπτω)
  • ἐπιχορηγίας: a supplying, furnishing (ἐπιχορηγέω· to furnish, supply)
• ἐν μέτρῳ = μετρίως: moderately, in due proportion, within due limits, in due measure