Bashan: The Place of the Serpent

One of the most head-scratching verses to me in the entire Bible is Ephesians 4:8. 

In this verse, Paul quotes Psalm 68. And Paul is known to quote various passages from the Old Testament; that’s not weird. 

What’s weird is that Paul quotes it wrong. As in, he quotes one line saying the exact opposite of what the David originally wrote in this Psalm. 

Psalm 68 says

You ascended on high,
    leading a host of captives in your train
    and receiving gifts among men,

But in Ephesians 4:8 Paul applies this to Christ, saying

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
    and he gave gifts to men.”

One version says “receiving gifts.” The other says “he gave gifts.” Those are two opposite ideas. 

And that might seem like a tiny mistake in the grand scheme of things, but it bothers me because I always say my bible ain’t got no mistakes. So I had to look more deeply into this one.

And as I did, I learned something that brought yet another dimension to these words: the quotation in Psalm 68 is in a context of addressing Bashan. 

Bashan, as in, the spiritually dark region that was a stronghold of giants and demons in the Bible. 

Bashan, a location whose name means “the place of the serpent.” 

Bashan which contains Mount Hermon, the location where the Watchers touched down on planet earth in their great rebellion, as detailed in the Book of Enoch.

So in this episode, we’re going to investigate Bashan, what it means in the Bible, what Psalm 68 is saying, and hopefully we’ll understand why Paul quotes it backwards in Ephesians 4.

Because I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why a potential error like this is in the Bible. 

Turn to Psalm 68, and let’s get weird.

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0:00 - Introduction

4:40 - Bashan, the Place of the Serpent

11:15 - Psalm 68 & Ephesians 4

23:45 - Next Time

25:30 - The Bulls of Bashan

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If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!