4:7 every one of us. In spite of the seven-fold unity just described (Ephesians 4:4-6), each individual has received his or her own distinct gift(s) from Christ.

4:8 Wherefore he saith. This quotation is from Psalm 68:18, the context of which is apparently describing the Lord among His heavenly hosts of angels, riding as a mighty conqueror returning home with the spoils of battle, the spoils consisting of “captivity” led forth “captive.” Evidently this prize of battle had consisted of a band of prisoners that had been held captive in an alien land, but now had in turn been captured from the enemy by the returning king. The latter—none other than the Lord Himself (Psalm 68:17)—as he returned to His “holy place,” “ascended up on high” to do this, evidently returning from somewhere below.

4:10 above all heavens. Jesus, in pre-incarnate theophanies, had previously “ascended to heaven” and come “down from heaven,” even while remaining “in heaven” (John 3:13). Now, however, He “ascended up far above all heavens”—above the atmosphere, above the stars, even above the third heaven of paradise, “that He might fill all things.” He is Creator and Redeemer of the entire universe, being omnipresent in the Spirit, even though residing at the right hand of the Father in His glorified human body.

4:11 he gave. Continuing the analogy with returning human conquerors, who gave gifts to their countrymen, the ascended Christ, by His Spirit, has given spiritual gifts to His subjects individually, to be exercised for the benefit of the “one body,” corporately. Many of these gifts of the Spirit are listed in Romans 12:4-8, and I Corinthians 12:4-12,27-30. Only four (or five) of the more essential gifts are listed here. As noted before, however, the gifts of apostles and prophets to the body ceased with the completion of the New Testament and the death of John, the last of the apostles (see notes on Ephesians 3:5-6).