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The Descent of Christ in Ephesians 4:9

WILLIAM BALES
Mount St. Marys Seminary
Emmitsburg, MD 21727

THE PURPOSE of this study is to demonstrate that the literal referent of the
phrase (he descended to the lower regions of the
earth) in Eph 4:9 is that of a journey Christ was thought to have made to the realm
of the dead between the time of his death and the time of his resurrection. The
belief that Christ made such a journey is attested in the writings of a number of
early Church Fathers.1 It appears probable that such a descent is attested elsewhere
in the NT (see 1 Pet 3:18-20; 4:6).2 Ephesians 4:9 is either alluded to or cited by
various Church Fathers as they discuss or marshal support for this understanding
of the descent.3 This understanding of the where and the when of the descent in Eph
4:9-10 held sway throughout the entire postapostolic and medieval periods.4 It has,
however, lost support in modern times.5
Since the Reformation, and particularly in the last 150 years or so, the view
that the descent in Eph 4:9 refers to Christs incarnation (understood variously as
his earthly ministry and/or his redemptive death and/or or his burial in the ground)

1 See, e.g., Ignatius Magn. 9.3; Polycarp Phil. 1.2; Irenaeus Haer. 4.27.2; 5.31.1; 5.33.1;
Tertullian An. 55:2. This view of the descent appears in a creedal formula for the first time in the
Fourth Formula of Sirmium (359 C.E.).
2 Considerable disagreement exists about the meaning of these difficult texts. Traditionally

they have been used to support the doctrine of a descensus ad inferos.

3 See, e.g., Irenaeus Haer. 4.22.1; Tertullian An. 55.2; Ambrosiaster Eph. 4; Chrysostom Hom.

Eph. 11; Jerome Comm. Eph. 2.4.

4 See, e.g., Theodoret Ephesians 4; Oecumenius Ephesians 6; Theophylact Comm. Ephesians 4;

Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Saint Pauls Epistle to the Ephesians (trans. Matthew L. Lamb;
Aquinas Scripture Series 2; Albany: Magi, 1966) 159-61.
5 Still, the position has had its defenders. See, e.g., Friedrich Bchsel, , TDNT,

3:641-42; Hugo Odeberg, The View of the Universe in the Epistle to the Ephesians (Lunds Univer-

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THE DESCENT OF CHRIST IN EPHESIANS 4:9 85

has gained a strong following.6 A third proposal, that Christs descent in Eph
4:9 refers to his coming to the church at Pentecost (subsequent to his ascension)
via the person of the Holy Spirit, has garnered support in recent decades.7
In this study I will try to bring clarity and resolution to the questions of the
where and the when of the descent in Eph 4:9. I will look briefly at the cosmology
presented in the Old and New Testaments, briefly at the patristic evidence, and
then rather in depth at the philological data.

sitets rsskrift n.F. Bd. 29, Nr. 6; Lund: Gleerup, 1934) 17-19; Robert G. Bratcher and Eugene A.
Nida, A Translators Handbook on Pauls Letter to the Ephesians (Helps for Translators; London/
New York: United Bible Societies, 1982) 99-100; Clinton E. Arnold, Power and Magic: The Con-
cept of Power in Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992) 56-58; James D. G. Dunn, Christology in
the Making: A New Testament Inquiry into the Origins of the Doctrine of the Incarnation (London:
SCM, 1980) 186-87; Anthony Tyrrell Hanson, The New Testament Interpretation of Scripture
(London: SPCK, 1980) 136-41; Larry J. Kreitzer, The Plutonium of Hierapolis and the Descent of
Christ into the Lowermost Parts of the Earth (Ephesians 4,9), Bib 79 (1998) 381-93.
6 See, e.g., Max Zerwick, The Epistle to the Ephesians (trans. Kevin Smyth; New Testament

for Spiritual Reading; New York: Herder & Herder, 1969) 106-8; F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the
Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984) 343-45;
C. Leslie Mitton, Ephesians (NCB; London: Oliphants, 1976) 144-49; Markus Barth, Ephesians:
Introduction, Translation, and Commentary (2 vols.; AB 34, 34A; Garden City, NY: Doubleday,
1974) 432-34; Pheme Perkins, Ephesians (Abingdon New Testament Commentaries; Nashville:
Abingdon, 1997) 97-99; Andreas Lindemann, Der Epheserbrief (Zrcher Bibelkommentare; Zurich:
Theologischer Verlag, 1985) 77; Rudolf Schnackenburg, Ephesians: A Commentary (trans. Helen
Heron; Edinburgh: Clark, 1991) 177-80; Richard N. Longenecker, The Christology of Early Jewish
Christianity (SBT 2/17; London: SCM, 1970) 60; Heinrich Schlier, Der Brief an die Epheser: Ein
Kommentar (Dsseldorf: Patmos, 1957) 192; Ernest Best, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary
on Ephesians (ICC; Edinburgh: Clark, 1998) 383-88; Peter T. OBrien, The Letter to the Ephesians
(Pillar New Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999) 294-96; Harold W. Hoehner,
Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002) 533-36; John Paul Heil,
Ephesians: Empowerment to Walk in Love for the Unity of All in Christ (SBL Studies in Biblical Lit-
erature 13; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2007) 173-74.
7 Scholars sympathetic to this view include, among others, Hermann von Soden, Die Briefe

an die Kolosser, Epheser, Philemon; die Pastoralbriefe (2nd ed.; HTKNT 3; Freiburg/Leipzig: Mohr,
1893) 135-36; T. K. Abbott, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians
and to the Colossians (ICC; New York: Scribner, 1916) 115-16; G. B. Caird, Pauls Letters from
Prison: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, in the Revised Standard Version (New
Clarendon Bible; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1976) 73-75; Calvin H. Porter, The Descent of
Christ: An Exegetical Study of Ephesians 4:7-11, in One Faith: Its Biblical, Historical, and Ecu-
menical Dimensions. A Series of Essays in Honor of Stephen J. England on the Occasion of His
Seventieth Birthday (ed. Robert L. Simpson; Enid, OK: Phillips University Press, 1966) 45-55;
John C. Kirby, Ephesians, Baptism and Pentecost: An Inquiry into the Structure and Purpose of the
Epistle to the Ephesians (Montreal: McGill University Press, 1968) 145-46; David E. Garland, A
Life Worthy of the Calling: Unity and Holiness. Ephesians 4:1-24, RevExp 76 (1979) 517-27;
Andrew T. Lincoln, Ephesians (WBC 42; Dallas: Word, 1990) 244-48; W. Hall Harris, The Descent
of Christ: Ephesians 4:7-11 and Traditional Hebrew Imagery (AGAJU 32; Leiden: Brill, 1996).
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I. The Underworld in the Old Testament

The underworld, and myths associated with journeys to and from the under-
world, were important features of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Ugaritic cosmol-
ogy and mythology.8 The consensus of modern scholarship is that OT Hebrew
cosmology included an underworld, a place to which persons went after death.
Many terms and phrases are used in the OT to indicate this place.9 The underworld
is depicted as a place to which the dead go down, under the earth, or from which
the dead must be brought uphence the English-language appellation under-
world.10 The most common term used in the OT to refer to this place is Sheol
(MT  , 65 times).
The OT presentation of the underworld is not consistent. For example, the
underworld can be spoken of as a land of no return (Job 7:9a-10c; 14:10-12; Prov
2:18-19), as a city with gates (Isa 38:10-11; Job 38:17), as architectonically con-
nected with the base or foundation of the world and the seas (Isa 14:15; 24:18;
44:23; 2 Sam 22:16; Job 9:6; Ps 18:15; Mic 6:2; Jdt 16:15; Sir 10:16), as a place
of gloom and deep darkness (Job 10:20b-22; 17:13; 18:18; Ps 88:7), as a place of
silence (Pss 88:11-13; 115:17; Isa 38:18), as a place where there is no joy (Sir
14:16), and as a place where activity and knowledge cease (Qoh 9:10).11 Further,
the various terms and phrases used to designate the underworld in OT literature do
not always refer to the underworld proper. Sometimes they may simply denote

8 See Richard Bauckham, Descent to the Underworld, ABD, 2:146-59. On the topic of OT

cosmology and in particular the place of  / in that cosmology, see Nicholas J. Tromp, Prim-
itive Conceptions of Death and the Nether World in the Old Testament (BibOr 21; Rome: Pontifi-
cal Biblical Institute, 1969) 211-13; Luis I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World: A
Philological and Literary Study (AnBib 39; Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1970) 165-76;
Robert A. Oden, Comogony, Cosmology, ABD, 1:1167-68; Joachim Jeremias, , TDNT,
1:146-49; H. Bietenhard, , New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (ed.
Colin Brown; 3 vols.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 197578) 2:206-8; Richard Bauckham, Hades,
Hell, ABD, 3:14-15; Theodore J. Lewis, Dead, Abode of the, ABD, 2:101-4.
9 Here is a sampling: the depths of Sheol,  (Deut 32:22; Ps 86:13); the pit,
( Pss 28:1; 30:3; Prov 1:12; Isa 38:18), ( Ps 69:16), and ( Pss 16:10; 49:9; Isa 51:14); the
lowest pit,  ( Ps 55:23); the depths of the pit, ( Ps 88:7; Lam 3:55) and
( Isa 14:15; Ezek 32:23); the lowest parts of the earth, ( Ps 63:10; Isa 44:23),
( Ps 71:20), ( Ps 95:4); the roots of the mountains, ( Jonah 2:7).
10 For examples of going down or descending to Sheol, see Jacobs sentiments regarding

Joseph (Gen 37:35) and Benjamin (Gen 42:38; 44:29, 31). For other examples, see also Num 16:30, 33;
1 Sam 2:6; 1 Kgs 2:6, 9; Job 7:9; 17:16; 21:13; Pss 55:15; 88:3-4; Prov 7:27; Isa 14:11, 15; 57:9;
Ezek 31:15, 16, 17; 32:21, 27. For the famous example of the prophet Samuel being brought up
from the dead, see 1 Sam 28:11-15 (here the LXX uses forms of and ; the MT uses
forms of ).
11 On this lack of consistency, see Tromp, Primitive Conceptions, 180-96; Stadelmann,

Hebrew Conception of the World, 169-75.

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THE DESCENT OF CHRIST IN EPHESIANS 4:9 87

the grave (see 1 Kgs 2:6; Pss 49:14; 55:15); at other times they are used as
metaphors for desperate or miserable predicaments (see, e.g., Pss 18:5; 86:13;
87:4).
Though the OT lacks a unified and consistent view of the underworld, several
important notions can be stated with confidence. First, the underworld in the OT
is viewed as a place under the world of earth, sea, and sky in which humans live.
To get there one must travel downward. Second, the underworld is a place inhab-
ited by the dead. To get there one must die; once dead, one goes to the underworld.
Third, the OT uses many different terms and phrases when speaking both of the
underworld and of ones going down to it. Fourth, when terms or phrases are
used in OT literature to refer to the underworld, they are sometimes used metaphor-
ically.

II. The Underworld in the New Testament

Two Greek words, and (Hades and abyss), as well as the
phrase () (from the dead) are important for understanding the NT
picture of the underworld. The LXX commonly translates the Hebrew word 
(Sheol) with (Hades). The word occurs ten times in the NT: Matt
11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Rev 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14. Not sur-
prisingly, the NT conception of Hades closely resembles that of OT Sheol.12 Like
Sheol, Hades in the NT is an underworld, a place to which persons go after death.
For example:
Luke 16:23: The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades [
], where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
Acts 2:27: . . . because you will not abandon my soul to Hades [ ],
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
Acts 2:31: . . . he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that
neither was he abandoned to Hades [ ], nor did his flesh see corrup-
tion.13
In the NT, Hades is a place to which one descends or goes down. Hades can indi-
cate the lowest depths, in contrast to the highest heights:
12 See Jeremias, , 148-49; idem, , TDNT, 1:9-10; Bietenhard, , 207-8;
Bauckham, Hades, Hell, 14-15; idem, Descent to the Underworld, 154-56; Lewis, Dead, Abode
of the, 104.
13 Acts 2:27 and 2:31 differentiate between the destination, upon death, of the soul over against

the destination of the body. The soul appears to go to Hades (the abode of the dead), while the body
goes to the grave. See Jeremias, , 148; F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (NICNT; Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1988) 65; Leon Morris, Revelation (TynNTC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987) 56.
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Matt 11:23 (// Luke 10:15): And as for you, Capernaum, will you be exalted
to heaven? You will go down to Hades! [ ].
In Matt 16:18, Hades is spoken of as having gates:
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades [ ] shall not prevail against it.
The LXX generally translates the Hebrew word with . In the
LXX, usually indicates deep ocean waters, but it can also indicate a place
deep below the earth.14 In the Gospel according to Luke and in the Book of Rev-
elation, is used to indicate a place in the depth of the earth where evil
spirits are imprisoned (see Luke 8:31; Rev 9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1, 3). In the
Book of Revelation, this place of imprisonment has a well-like opening into the
world of humanity through which evil spirits come forth when allowed (see Rev
9:1-11). In Rom 10:7, is used in parallel with the underworld, the abode
of the dead: . . . or Who will go down into the abyss [ ]?that is,
to bring Christ up from the dead [ ]. In this instance,
is the functional equivalent of , the abode of the dead (the ).15
Phrases in the NT using (or ) are often used in con-
nection with people (and especially Jesus) rising from the dead. The phrase
occurs forty-four times in the NT; the phrase occurs three
times. Of the forty-seven occurrences of , thirty-three have to do with
Christs resurrection from the dead. Phrases using are used in conjunc-
tion with several verbs and nouns having to do with rising from the dead:
(twenty-six times [twelve times in the Pauline corpus]), (ten times),
(three times), (once), and (twice).16 Building on
OT cosmology, a consistent picture emerges: the dwell in a place that is
under the earth; to get back to the land of the living (on earth) there is always
movement upward. Seen against the backdrop of the OT understanding of the
underworld (carried over into the NT), these phrases are probably ellipti-
cal ways of referring to all of the dead dwelling in the underworld.17 This is obvi-

14 For examples of the former, see LXX Pss 32:7; 35:7; 42:8; 76:17; 78:15; 148:7; Prov 8:24;

Job 28:14; 38:16; Isa 44:27; Ezek 26:19; Wis 10:19. For examples of the latter, see LXX Sir 1:3;
24:5.
15 So, e.g., C. E. B. Cranfield, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the

Romans (2 vols.; ICC; Edinburgh: Clark, 1979) 2:525; James D. G. Dunn, Romans 916 (WBC
38B; Dallas: Word, 1988) 606; Leon Morris, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1988) 383; Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996)
656. See also BDAG, s.v. , 2.
16 The phrase is used with in Matt 14:2; 27:64; 28:7. All three texts

refer to Jesus rising from the dead. The phrase is used with in Luke 16:30
to indicate someone returning to the land of the living from Abrahams bosom.
17 See Rudolf Bultmann, , TDNT, 4:893; BDAG, s.v. , B.1.
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THE DESCENT OF CHRIST IN EPHESIANS 4:9 89

ously the case in Rom 10:7 (as noted above), where is used in parallel
with . It is likely the case also in Luke 16:30-31.
In Luke 16:30-31, the dead and suffering rich man asks Abraham to send the
dead yet comforted poor man back from the dead. The poor man is in Abrahams
bosom ( ), and the rich man is suffering torment in Hades (
). The rich man pleads with Abraham to send the poor man back to the land
of the living to warn the rich mans brothers, lest they come to a similar fate. Abra-
ham rebuffs the rich man, saying that Moses and the prophets provide sufficient
warning. The rich man appeals one last time:
And he said, No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead
[ ], they will repent. He [Abraham] said to him, If they do not hear
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise
from the dead [ ].

Though the two men are separated by a great chasm ( ), the two places
are within sight of each other. Both places appear to be compartments of the under-
world. Abrahams bosom is a place from which one must rise () if one
would return to the land of the living. The dead (), both righteous and
unrighteous, reside in the underworld.

III. The Underworld in Greco-Roman Religions

Even a cursory analysis of the idea of an underworld in the Greco-Roman
religions of NT times is well beyond the scope of this study. Two important points,
however, should be noted. First, the idea of an underworld as a place where the
dead reside was a prominent feature of many Greco-Roman religions. Though the
specifics differed, a general concept of the existence of an underworld in the cos-
mology of these religions was widespread.18 Second, descent journeys (of various
sorts) to the underworld were common features of many of these religions. For the
dead, the journey was usually one way. Sometimes, however, hero figures would
make the round-trip from the earthly sphere to the underworld and then back
again.19 Johannes Schneider claims that in the religions of the day, was
a technical term for making a descent to the underworld.20 Others have discussed
how descent rituals acted out in underground crypts were regular features in the ini-
tiation of members into various syncretistic Greco-Roman mystery religions.21
Larry J. Kreitzer goes so far as to suggest that the descent mentioned in Eph 4:9

18 See esp. Bauckham, Descent to the Underworld, 149-54.

19 Ibid.
20 Johannes Schneider, , TDNT, 1:523.
21 See, e.g., Arnold, Power and Magic, 57-58; Hans Dieter Betz, Fragments from a Cataba-

sis Ritual in a Greek Magical Papyrus, History of Religions 21 (1980) 287-95; Kreitzer, Plutonium
of Hierapolis, 381-93.
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alludes to such rituals being practiced in a crypt of the Lycus valley, the Plutonium
of Hierapolis.22
So prevalent was the idea of an underworld in the Greco-Roman culture of
the day that it can be reasonably assumed that the average person would have
understood the phrase he descended to the lower regions of the earth as indicat-
ing, first and foremost, a descent (of some sort) to the underworld, the realm of the
dead.

IV. Patristic Witnesses to a Descent: With Respect to

Ephesians 4:9 and in General
All of the early Fathers who comment on or allude to the descent in Eph 4:9
indicate that they understand the text to mean that Christ made a descent to the
underworld between the time of his death and the time of his resurrection.23 Among
the Latin Fathers, these include Irenaeus (Haer. 4.22.1; 4.27.2; 5.31.2), Tertullian
(An. 55.2), Ambrosiaster (Eph. 4), Pelagius,24 and Jerome (Comm. Eph. 2.4).
Among the Greek Fathers is Chrysostom (Hom. Eph. 11). Following are just two
samples.
In Haer. 4.27.2, Irenaeus apparently conflates ideas from Eph 4:9 and 1 Pet
3:19:
It was for this reason, too, that the Lord descended into the regions beneath the earth,
preaching His advent there also, and declaring the remission of sins received by those
who believe in Him.25

In An. 55.2, Tertullian states:

Now although Christ is God, yet, being also man, He died according to the Scrip-
tures, and according to the same Scriptures was buried. With the same law of His
being He fully complied, by remaining in Hades in the form and condition of a dead
man; nor did He ascend into the heights of heaven before descending into the lower
parts of the earth [nec ante ascendit in sublimiora coelorum quam descendit in infe-
riora terarum26], that He might there make the patriarchs and prophets partakers of
Himself.27

22 See Kreitzer, Plutonium of Hierapolis, 392-93.

23 For an extensive survey of patristic references to the tradition that Christ made a descent to
the underworld between the time of his death and the time of his resurrection, see John Arnott
MacCulloch, The Harrowing of Hell: A Comparative Study of an Early Christian Doctrine (Edin-
burgh: Clark, 1930) 83-130.
24 See Alexander Souter, Pelagius Expositions of Thirteen Epistles of St Paul: Text and Appa-

ratus Criticus (3 vols.; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1926) 2:364.

25 ANF, 1:499.
26 PL, 2:788.
27 ANF, 3:231.
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THE DESCENT OF CHRIST IN EPHESIANS 4:9 91

Many early Fathers, without specifically alluding to or mentioning Eph 4:9,

indicate that Christ made a descent to the underworld between the time of his death
and the time of his resurrection. Among the Greek Fathers, these include Ignatius
of Antioch (Magn. 9; Trall. 9), Clement of Alexandria (Strom. 6.6), and Origen
(Hom. 1 Sam.; Hom. Luke 24; Princ. 2.11.6; Hom. Exod. 6.6; Cels. 2.43, 56; Hom.
Rom. 5; Hom. Ps. 88.23). Among the Latin Fathers are Justin Martyr (Dial. 72),
Marcion,28 Irenaeus (Haer. 3.20.4; 4.27.2; 4.33.1, 12; 5.31.1, 2; Epid. 78),
Hippolytus (Antichr. 26, 45), Tertullian (Res. 44), and Cyprian (Adv. Jud. 2.24, 25, 27).
Other Fathers and early Christian sources likewise indicate that Christ made
a descent to the underworld between the time of his death and the time of his res-
urrection.29 Patristic and other early church testimony indicates that this belief
among early Christians was widespread and well known.30 Such testimony, of
course, does not prove that Eph 4:9 refers to a similar sort of descent. It does, how-
ever, strongly point to the notion that a similar descent tradition goes back to the
time the letter was written.

V. Pertinent Septuagint Texts for Interpreting

in Ephesians 4:9
The phrase in Eph 4:9 is similar to many
LXX texts.31 Because of the familiarity and reverence the Ephesian audience
almost certainly had for the LXX, these texts provide invaluable assistance for
determining the most likely meaning of the phrase in Eph 4:9. Three classes of
LXX texts will be examined.
The first class comprises three texts, each of which has very close formal sim-
ilarities to . The first of these, Ps 62:10, reads as
follows:

28 The knowledge of Marcions teaching regarding Christs descent is based on secondary

sources: Irenaeus (Haer. 1.27.3), Epiphanius (Haer. 43.4), and Theodoret (Haer. Fab. 1.24).
29 See MacCulloch, Harrowing of Hell, 67-300; Jean Danilou, The Theology of Jewish Chris-

tianity (trans. John A. Baker; Development of Christian Doctrine before the Council of Nicaea 1;
London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1964) 233-48.
30 Malcolm L. Peel (The Decensus ad Inferos in The Teachings of Silvanus, Numen 26

[1979] 23-49, here 27) states: From the second century on there was no more well-known and pop-
ular belief among early Christians than that pertaining to Christs Decensus ad Inferos. So also
MacCulloch, Harrowing of Hell, 45.
31 Space limitations preclude an adequate discussion of the two main text-critical issues in

Eph 4:9. I proceed with the understanding that both (first) and (parts) are sec-
ondary readings. For my evaluation of these two text-critical questions, see William A. Bales, The
Meaning and Function of Ephesians 4:9-10 in Both Its Immediate and Its More General Context
(Ph.D. diss., The Catholic University of America, 2002) 50-53.
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but they seek my life in vain;
they shall go into the lowest regions of the earth

The phrase provides the closest parallel in

OT literature to in Eph 4:9. The prepositional
phrases would be identical except for the slight difference of the superlative
in Ps 62:10. This difference is probably inconsequential, as the com-
parative form of the adjective had largely replaced the superlative in Koine
Greek.32 The LXX uses to translate the underlying Hebrew word
(lower regions). When is used in construct with ( the earth), the
resulting phrase indicates the lowest regions of the earth, one of the
many phrases and terms that OT authors use to refer to the underworld. The verb
in Ps 62:10 differs from in Eph 4:9. Conceptually, however,
entering into the lowest regions of the earth (Ps 62:10) is very similar to the idea
of going down () used in Eph 4:9. Thus, the difference in verb usage
between the phrases in Ps 62:10 and Eph 4:9 is slight.
The context of Ps 62:10 is that of the psalmist being pursued by enemies. An
unidentified group referred to as they () seeks the psalmists life (
). It would appear that the psalmists bleak circumstances have been
brought about by this group in some (again unidentified) way. In vv. 10-11 the
psalmist expresses confidence that these enemies will eventually be removed.
Whereas 62:10 speaks of these enemies going into the lowest regions of the earth
(the equivalent of Sheol), 62:11 makes clear that the psalmists desire and hope
are to see them dead; the enemies will be given over to the power of the sword;
they will be the portion of foxes. It would appear that the psalmist is not inter-
ested so much in these enemies going to Sheol per se, as the underworld itself is
not generally understood as a place of shame reserved exclusively for the unrigh-
teous dead. Rather, the psalmist is interested in the death that will take these ene-
mies to the underworld. In context, going to the lowest regions of the earth is a
metaphorical way of saying die.
The second LXX text that bears a very close formal likeness to
in Eph 4:9 is Ps 138:15:
,

32 On this grammatical development, see A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Tes-

tament in the Light of Historical Research (4th ed.; Nashville: Broadman, 1934) 668; James Hope
Moulton, Prolegomena, vol. 1 of A Grammar of New Testament Greek, by James Hope Moulton,
W. F. Howard, and Nigel Turner (3rd ed.; Edinburgh: Clark, 1908) 78; BDF 60.
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THE DESCENT OF CHRIST IN EPHESIANS 4:9 93

my bone that you made in secret was not hidden from you;
my substance in the lowest regions of the earth

As with Ps 62:10, the superlative form of the adjective is used instead of the com-
parative (again, this is probably inconsequential). In addition,
in Ps 138:15 is used to translate the almost identical Hebrew phrase
, translated by in Ps 62:10.
The phrase in Ps 138:15 is set in the general con-
text of a meditation by the psalmist on Gods omnipresence and omniscience (see
vv. 1-18). The immediate context is a meditation on how God knew and fashioned
the psalmist while the psalmist was yet in his/her mothers womb (vv. 13-16a).
Contextually, in v. 15 might reflect a folk belief that
human beings are somehow created deep within the earth.33 More likely, given the
OT understanding of Sheol and the many words and phrases used to refer to it, the
phrase stands metaphorically for the deep, hidden concealment of the womb.34
The third LXX text that has a very close formal parallel to
in Eph 4:9 is in the pseudepigraphal Prayer of Manasseh. Verse 13
uses phraseology that is identical to Ps 138:15:
,
, ,

,
,
, ,
I earnestly beg you,
forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!
Do not destroy me because of my lawless deeds;35
do not be angry with me for ever or harbor evil against me;
do not condemn me to the lowest regions of the earth;
for you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent. (Pr Man 13)

The phrase occurs here in a context where the suppli-

cant (according to prayers title, King Manasseh) asks Gods forgiveness
(vv. 11, 13a) for the many sins he has committed (vv. 9, 10b, 12). It is because of
his sins that he has come to the wretched condition he is in (v. 10a). In v. 13 the
petition reaches a crescendo, ending with a plea that God not condemn him to the
lowest regions of the earth [ ].

33
See Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101150 (WBC 21; Waco: Word, 1983) 252.
34
See Derek Kidner, Psalms 73150: A Commentary on Books IIIV of the Psalms (TynOTC;
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1975) 466.
35 Here is understood as an adverbial dative of cause.
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The destruction, evil, and condemnation to the lower regions of the earth to
which the supplicant refers could indicate merely the continuation or exacerbation
of his present miserable condition (see v. 10a). If this is the case, the language of
not being condemned to these unhappy regions is the supplicants metaphorical
way of describing his present plight and asking to be delivered from it. In light of
OT Hebrew cosmology, however, and in light of similar phraseology in Ps 62:10
LXX, it is better to view these negative notions as meaning death itself and con-
signment to the dismal underworld into which persons were thought to enter upon
death.
A second class of texts to which Eph 4:9 is similar includes several LXX
verses.36 These texts use the words (the earth) in a way that is similar to
how is used in the phrase in Eph 4:9.
For example, Isa 14:15 reads as follows:
,
but now to Hades you will descend, to the foundations of the earth

The context of Isa 14:15 is that of an oracle against a tyrant of Babylon (14:4-21).
The tyrants power will be broken (vv. 5-8) and then he will die (v. 11). After death
he will join other tyrants in Hades (vv. 9-11, 15). In Isa 14:15,
is parallel to , the LXX rendering of the Hebrew  . The verb
does double duty, operating with the prepositional phrase in
v. 15b as well as with in v. 15a. Contextually, both and
are places to which one descends () upon death. The tyrant will
be brought to the place of the dead, the underworld.
For purposes of comparison with in Eph 4:9,
it is worth noting that Isa 14:15 uses a form of in describing a descent
to the underworld. Further, it is significant that the tyrants descent strikes an ironic
contrast with his presumed ascent (using a form of ) in the preceding
verse. In v. 14 the tyrant boasts that he will ascend above the clouds and be like the
Most High ( , ); in v. 15
he descends to Hades. The mention of an ascent (using a form of ) fol-
lowed by a descent to the underworld (using a form of ) finds a strik-
ing parallel in Eph 4:9.
A third class of texts to which Eph 4:9 is similar comprises a number of LXX
passages in which descending phrases employ the verb .37 On a literal

36 Here only Isa 14:15 will be analyzed. For a discussion of three other important LXX texts

in this class (Ps 70:20; Ezek 26:20; 32:18), see Bales, Meaning and Function of Ephesians 4:9-10,
201-3.
37 Here only four of the many examples from this class of texts will be examined, providing

a sampling from the Pentateuch, Psalms, and Prophets. For an analysis of all of the other important
examples from this class in the LXX (Gen 37:35; Job 17:16; Pss 27:1; 29:4, 10; 54:16; 62:10; 70:20;
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THE DESCENT OF CHRIST IN EPHESIANS 4:9 95

level, these texts clearly suggest a descent to somewhere below the earthto
Hades or an equivalent. The texts display a striking formal similarity to
in Eph 4:9: (a form of) + the preposition + a
word or phrase designating the underworld.38 The similarity in form that these
texts bear to in Eph 4:9 almost certainly indicates
a similarity in meaning as well.
Numbers 16:30, 33 read as follows:




ut if the Lord shows a sign, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and
their households and their tents and all that belongs to them and they descend alive to
Hades, then you will know that these men provoked the Lord. (v. 30)


nd they and all that belonged to them descended alive to Hades; the earth closed
over them, and they perished from the community. (v. 33)

The context of both of these texts from Numbers 16 is that of a dispute between
Moses, on the one hand, and Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on the other. In 16:28-30,
Moses states that the Lord will make known who is in the right. The divine sign
showing that Korah and company are in the wrong would be that the earth would
open up and swallow them and their households.
The imagery of these people descending alive to Hades suggests that the
opening in the earth is their means of travel from the land of the living to the realm
of the dead. The earth will swallow them and they will descend immediately into
that realm. As v. 33 indicates, the emphasis of this descent to Hades is on their
being utterly removed from the community ( ).
In this particular instance, the actual descent of Korah and his household through
a gaping chasm into the earth deep below has literal points of contact with the oth-
erwise mythic portrayal of the descent of disembodied persons to the underworld
after death.
A third example from this class of texts is found in Ps 138:8:
,

87:5; 113:25; 138:15; 142:7; Isa 14:15, 19; Ezek 26:20; 31:14, 15, 16, 17, 18; 32:18, 24, 27, 29, 30;
Tob 13:2 ( ;)Jonah 2:7; Bar 3:19; Pr Man 13), see Bales, Meaning and Function of Ephesians 4:9-
10, 204-20.
38 In Job 17:16, the preposition is used as well as . In some instances from this class of

texts, the verb comes after the prepositional phrase.

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f I ascend to heaven, you are there;

if I descend to Hades, you are there.

The phrase is set in the general context of a medi-

tation by the psalmist on Gods omnipresence and omniscience (see vv. 1-18). The
verb parallels the verb and sets up an obvious contrast in extremes:
heaven high above and Hades far below. The psalmists thought is that a journey
to either extreme would yet be attended by Gods presence. In context, the
psalmists (hypothetical) descent to Hades indicates a descent to the lowest com-
partment of the cosmos as it was then understood, the underworld. The ascent/
descent terminology found in this text is echoed in Eph 4:9.
A fourth example from this class of texts is found in Isa 14:11:
,
,
Your glory, your great happiness has gone down to Hades; they will spread putrefac-
tion beneath you, and worms will be your covering.

We have already encountered the general context of this versethat of an oracle

against a tyrant of Babylon (Isa 14:4-21). The tyrants power is first broken (vv. 5-8),
whereupon he dies and joins other tyrants in Hades (vv. 9-11). Verses 9-10 tell of
how these other tyrants assemble to meet and taunt the Babylonian tyrant as he
descends to join them. They tell him that he has become like them. In v. 11a, the
tyrant is told that his glory and great happiness have descended to Hades. The
notions of glory and great happiness, personified in the first phrase, are metaphors
for the earthly power and wealth the tyrant formerly enjoyed. In context, the phrase
, in Isa 14:11a indicates
that, as the tyrant himself has died and descended into the dismal abyss, so also his
power and wealth have done the same.
This survey of three specific classes of descent phrases in the LXX has
shown that the usage of these phrases falls into three general categories. The most
common use is to signify (metaphorically) dying or death, that is, being removed
from the land of the living (the world).39 The next most common use is to indi-
cate a descent to or existence in the underworld proper, the abode of the dead.40
Finally, these phrases are sometimes employed metaphorically as analogous terms
for various afflictions.41 The survey has demonstrated that the use of phrases sim-
ilar to in Eph 4:9 is widespread in the LXX. Such

39 See Gen 37:35; Job 17:16; Pss 27:1; 29:4, 10; 54:16; 62:10; 87:5; 113:25; 142:7; Isa 14:11,

19; Ezek 31:14, 15, 16, 17, 18; 32:24, 27, 29, 30; Pr Man 13. Here and in the following two foot-
notes, I include texts not surveyed above, but which I have surveyed elsewhere (see Bales, Mean-
ing and Function of Ephesians 4:9-10, 192-220).
40 See Num 16:30, 33; Ps 138:8; Isa 14:15; Ezek 26:20; 32:18; Jonah 2:7; Bar 3:19.
41 See Pss 70:20; 138:15; Tob 13:2 ().
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THE DESCENT OF CHRIST IN EPHESIANS 4:9 97

phrases are found in all strata of the OT: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
This broad distribution suggests that someone familiar with the LXX would have
been aware of these phrases and of their general meaning.
The many occurrences of these phrases in the psalms is of special importance
for interpreting Eph 4:9. The regular use of the psalms in the synagogue liturgy dur-
ing NT times means that any Jewish Christian in the Ephesian audience would
have been familiar with such expressions and would have had some general under-
standing of their meaning. Further, the similarity in form between
in Eph 4:9 and the relevant phrases in Pss 62:10 and 138:15 suggests the
possibility that the author of Ephesians borrowed directly from these texts.
It cannot be assumed that the author and the audience of Ephesians were as
familiar with Pr Man 13 as they likely were with the Torah, the Prophets, and the
Writings.42 Regardless, Pr Man 13 is an important text with respect to the aims of
this study because it comes from a document that is contemporaneous with Eph-
esians and witnesses to phraseology that is very similar to
in Eph 4:9.
In sum, assuming that both the author and the audience of Ephesians were
familiar with the LXX, it is very likely that both would have readily understood the
phrase in Eph 4:9 as indicating (1) in a literal
sense, a descent of some sort to the underworld that happens upon death; (2) meta-
phorically, death itself; or (3) metaphorically, some manner of serious adversity or
affliction.

VI. New Testament Parallels to

in Ephesians 4:9
Two NT texts (Rom 10:7 and Luke 10:15) provide formal linguistic parallels
to the phrase in Eph 4:9. A third text (Acts 20:9-12)
provides (perhaps) a thematic parallel. Unlike the previous survey of texts in the
LXX, there are no grounds to suppose that the author of Ephesians borrowed from
or was influenced by these texts. Rather, as is the case with Pr Man 13, these texts
testify to phraseology and/or ideas similar to in
Eph 4:9 that are roughly contemporaneous with Ephesians.
Romans 10:6-8 reads:
, ,
,
.
But the righteousness that comes from faith says, Do not say in your heart, Who

For a view supportive of a Jewish, pre-70 C.E. provenance for the Prayer of Manasseh, see
42

James H. Charlesworth, Manasseh, Prayer of, ABD, 4:499-500.

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will go up into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down) or Who will descend into the
abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

Paul uses the word to indicate extreme depth, that is, the extreme depth
to which there is no need to journey in order to appropriate Gods revelation in
Christ. The word is used in parallel with , the dead, here as a
synecdoche for Hades: ,
. The structure of the descent phrases in Rom 10:7 and Eph
4:9 is very similar:
Eph 4:9
Rom 10:7 ()
Both texts use the same verb (a form of ) and the same preposition (),
as well as what likely appears to be functionally equivalent terms to indicate the
place of descent.
A second text with linguistic parallels to Eph 4:9 is Luke 10:15 (//Matt 11:23).
It reads as follows:
, ,


nd as for you, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to Hades.

Jesus words in this minatory saying allude to a similar descent phrase in Isa
14:15 ( ), a text considered above. As in Isa 14:15, going down
to Hades in Luke 10:15 indicates a descent to the underworld with the added con-
notation of disgrace. In Luke 10:15, functions as an improper preposition
meaning to or as far as, similar to the preposition .43 Thus, the descent
phrases in Isa 14:15; Luke 10:15 (//Matt 11:23); and Eph 4:9 are formally similar
and very likely refer to the same basic idea, a descent to the underworld:
Eph 4:9
Luke 10:15
Matt 11:23
Isa 14:15
All four texts use the same verb (a form of ) and the same or function-
ally equivalent prepositions, as well as (again, likely) equivalent terms to indicate
the underworld, the place of descent.

43 See BDAG, s.v. , 3.a.

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THE DESCENT OF CHRIST IN EPHESIANS 4:9 99

One further text of interest is Acts 20:9-12, Pauls healing of Eutychus. On the
one hand, the story recalls episodes from the lives of Elijah and Elisha (see 1 Kgs
17:21; 2 Kgs 4:34-35). On the other hand, the language and imagery of Paul mak-
ing a descent ( [v. 10]) to the apparently dead ( [v. 9]) Eutychus,
followed by an ascent ( [v. 11]), after which bread is broken with the dis-
ciples on the first day of the week (see vv. 7,11 [compare Luke 24:1, 30]) suggest
that Luke has patterned the scene on events connected with Christ immediately
following his death and burial. Throughout the Book of Acts, the life, ministry,
and destiny of Christ are recapitulated in and through the members of the church.44

VII. Does the Cosmology of Ephesians Include an Underworld?

Over against the opinion of many scholars who espouse a two-tiered cos-
mology for the letter to the Ephesians45 are several considerations that argue for a
three-tiered cosmology that includes an underworld. Two texts in Ephesians
employ the phrase associated with a verb indicating a rising from the
dead:

which he accomplished in Christ, raising him from the dead (1:20)
, ,

wake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead. (5:14)

As noted earlier, in this study, when NT writers speak of rising or resurrection

or the equivalent (from the dead), what is in view is a per-
son rising from the place where the dead dwell, that is, the underworld. In Luke
16:31 and Rom 10:7, this is certainly the case. Although many occurrences of
(and similar) phrases in the NT are less clear, such phrases were
probably a standard method of referring to Christ (and others) rising from the
underworld. It is likely, therefore, that the use of these phrases in Eph 1:20 and
5:14 indicate that the author believed in the existence of an underworld.
Furthermore, if Paul is the author of Ephesians, then the underlying cosmol-
ogy of the letter is almost certainly three-tiered. To assert otherwise would be to
say that Pauls cosmology had changed since he wrote Philippians, something very

44 See Michael D. Goulder, Type and History in Acts (London: SPCK, 1964) 110.
45 See, e.g., Schlier, Epheser, 192; Lincoln, Ephesians, 245; OBrien, Ephesians, 294-95;
Schnackenburg, Ephesians, 179; Best, Ephesians, 118, 384; Barth, Ephesians, 433; Harris, Descent,
48, 50, 51; Perkins, Ephesians, 98.
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unlikely.46 f Paul is not the author, the underlying cosmology is likely three-tiered,
as it is unlikely that a prominent leader from the Pauline school would hold to a
cosmology different from that of Paul, the revered master and mentor.47 Finally, if
Ephesians espouses a two-tiered cosmology, it would represent a departure not
only from OT traditions but from other NT writings as well.

VIII. Conclusion
In seeking a solution to the where and the when of Christs descent in Eph 4:9,
I have surveyed briefly, as important historical background, OT and NT cosmol-
ogy and early patristic descent traditions. Of greater import is the detailed philo-
logical analysis, especially with respect to the LXX. All of these avenues of
investigation strongly suggest that in using the phrase
in Eph 4:9, the author alludes to a tradition that, between his death and resur-
rection, Christ made a descent to the underworld. On a literal level, the questions
regarding the where and the when of the descent phrase in Eph 4:9 are answered.
These foundational questions having been answered, the way is clear to pro-
ceed to further investigation: How is the phrase in
Eph 4:9 to be understood in its immediate context (4:8-10)? Is it to be understood
literally or metaphorically? What function does the midrash in 4:9-10 serve in the
general context of 4:1-16? Just to tip my hand, I believe that the author used the
descent phrase in 4:9 metaphorically in order to indicate Christs sacrificial death.
In doing so, the author taps into a rhetorical vein that is developed elsewhere in the
lettera rhetorical vein that urges praxis crucial to the stability and even contin-
ued existence of the churches at Ephesus. But this will be taken up and argued in
another article.

46 See Phil 2:10, which says that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in

heaven [] and on earth [] and under the earth [].

47 Almost all scholars who hold to pseudonymity hold that the author was a prominent figure

from the Pauline circle or school.

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