captive, captivate, captivity, catch

Definition

The terms “captive” and “captivity” refer to people who have been captured and forced to live somewhere they do not want to live, such as in a foreign country.

• The Israelites from the kingdom of Judah were held captive in the kingdom of Babylonia for 70 years.
• Captives are often required to work for the people or nation that captured them.
• Daniel and Nehemiah were Israelite captives who worked for the Babylonian king.
• The expression to “take captive” is another way of talking about capturing someone.
• The expression, “carry you away captive” could also be translated as “force you to live as captives” or “take you away to another country as prisoners.”
• In a figurative sense, the apostle Paul tells Christians to “take captive” every thought and make it obedient to Christ.
• He also talks about how a person can be “taken captive” by sin, which means he is “controlled by” sin.

Translation Suggestions

• Depending on the context, to be “held captive” could also be translated by, “not allowed to be free” or “kept in prison” or “forced to live in a foreign country.”
• The expression, “led captive” or “taken captive” could be translated as “captured” or “imprisoned” or “forced to go to a foreign land.”
• The term “captives” could also be translated as “people who were captured” or “enslaved people.”
• Depending on the context, “captivity” could also be translated as “imprisonment” or “exile” or “forced stay in a foreign country.”

(See also: Babylon, exile, prison, seize)

Bible References

• 2 Corinthians 10:5
• Isaiah 20:4
• Jeremiah 43:3
• Luke 4:18

Word Data

• Strong’s: H1123, H1473, H1540, H1546, H1547, H7617, H7622, H7628, H7633, H7686, G01610, G01620, G01630, G01640, G22210