Ephesians 4:9 BSB — MannaFest

Ephesians 4:9

What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth?

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

(Now this, He ascended, what is it but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

KJV

(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

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Commentary

3 voices

Jerome

Commentary on Ephesians 4:9 (420)

But what is it that ascends except that which also descends into the lower parts of the earth? He who is said to have ascended, ascended because he had descended before. This means: 'But what is it that ascends except that which has also descended.' Therefore, we must look into that which is written elsewhere: 'No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man' (John 3:13), how did he ascend before descending?

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

As much as if he had said, "When David speaks of Christ's ascension, he intimates the knowledge he had of Christ's humiliation on earth; for, when it is said that he ascended, this implies that he first descended: for what is it but a proof or demonstration of his having done so?" Into the lower parts of the earth; this may refer either to his incarnation, according to that of David, Ps. cxxxix.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Christ, as Lord of all, took possession first of the earth the unseen world beneath it (some conjecture that the region of the lost is in the central parts of our globe), then of heaven (Ac 2:27, 28). However, all we surely know is, that His soul at death descended to Hades, that is, underwent the ordinary condition of departed spirits of men.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

16 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
τὸ	to	<the>	G3588 →
δὲ	de	And	G1161 →
ἀνέβη,	anebē	He ascended,	G305 →
τί	ti	what	G5101 →
ἐστιν	estin	is [this]	G1510 →
εἰ	ei	only	G1487 →
μὴ	mē	except	G3361 →
ὅτι	hoti	that	G3754 →
καὶ	kai	also	G2532 →
κατέβη	katebē	He descended	G2597 →
εἰς	eis	into	G1519 →
τὰ	ta	the	G3588 →
κατώτερα	katōtera	lower	G2737 →
μέρη	merē	regions	G3313 →
τῆς	tēs	of the	G3588 →
γῆς;	gēs	earth?	G1093 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Proverbs 30:4
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth?…
leads to
- John 3:13
  No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Through
John 3:13
No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
leads to
- Proverbs 30:4
  Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth?…
- John 6:38
  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
- Acts 2:34
  For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand
- John 1:18
  No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
- John 13:3
  Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God.
Through
Matthew 12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
leads to
- Jonah 1:17
  Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.
- Matthew 27:63–64
  “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

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About Ephesians

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Continue: Ephesians 4 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Ephesians

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Ephesians