8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Here, Paul provides a supporting Scripture for his point from verse seven. The verse quotes Psalm 68:18 and references Christ's resurrection, giving us the doctrinal detail that He took those who were held in Paradise with Him to heaven at His ascension. Along with this came spiritual gifts discussed in more detail in 1 Corinthians 12 (which also includes many echoes of the content thus far in Ephesians).
The "he saith" could be significant as well, as it might be yet another indication of the inspiration of Scripture; though David and others penned the Psalms, they are the words of the Lord God Almighty, not simply by their prophetic nature in Psalm 68:18, but because they are His very words. This would hold true regardless of whether “he” in the verse is meant to reference David, or the Lord Himself.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Verses 9-10 are a parenthetical statement that elaborates on the content of verse eight. They affirm the deity of Christ: the Jesus Christ who descended into the grave (and subsequently the heart of the earth - Matthew 12:40) is the exact same Jesus Christ who ascended into heaven in glory (John 20:17) and is seated at the Father's right hand (Ephesians 1:20). Christ filling all things could be a reference to His fulfilling all of the law as a man, thus being fit as the sacrificial lamb on our behalf, and/or that He fulfilled every prophecy of His first advent.
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