Ephesians 4:8

‘Which is why he says, ‘When he ascended on high he led captivity (or ‘prisoners of war') captive and gave gifts to men.'

‘He says.' Some see this as meaning simply ‘it is said'. But there are good grounds in seeing this as demonstrating Paul's view that the Scriptures were the voice of God (a view certainly taken by the Jewish theologian Philo).

The words are a quotation from Psalms 68:18, but there the Massoretic text reads, ‘You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive, you have received gifts among men.' However the Aramaic Targum (Rabbinic commentary) on the book of Psalms and the Syriac Peshitta (Old Testament in Syriac) both read ‘you have given gifts to men' which suggests either a translation from a Hebrew text which contained these words, which was also clearly known to Paul, or an authentic oral tradition. He Who received gifts also gave them. The receiving of tribute by a great conquering king would regularly be accompanied by a giving of gifts to those who had served him faithfully.

So the picture is of a conquering lord leading prisoners of war captive and receiving tribute, and giving from the tribute to those who had proved faithful, and this is clearly the basis for the alternative rendering which is cited from some source. So Paul has in mind here the triumph of Christ on the cross, defeating the powers of the Enemy (Colossians 2:15) and giving gifts to His faithful people. The source of our gifts is the triumph of the great Giver.