Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CAPTIVES

A term encompassing a range of meanings, including prisoner of war, slave, debtor, suspected criminal, deportee, exile, oppressed, and prisoner in a figurative sense. These categories must be understood in the circumstances of biblical times. The “prisoner” of the modern penal system is not found in the Bible. Thus, biblical texts dealing with liberty for captives (e.g., Luke 4:18) cannot be simplistically applied to today’s society, where different principles of crime and punishment prevail.

In biblical times suspected criminals were held in what today would be termed “remand prisons” until trial and sentencing. Imprisonment was a transition to either physical punishment (e.g., flogging), death, slavery, or deportation and exile. Prisoners of war were treated the same. Imprisonment simply as a punishment was not known. Occasionally, persons suspected of subversive activities were held in prison to curb their activities and influence. Imprisonment of debtors in biblical times is best understood in the sense of hostage holding to force relatives and friends to honor the debts. The term “captives” was used of the “exiles,” referring to those Israelites deported and living among foreigners such as Babylonians. In this case there is a suggestion of religious persecution: The Israelites are seen as suffering for their faith. Yet, in the eyes of the imperial authorities the deportation was political. Likewise in NT times, individuals such as Paul are viewed as imprisoned because they proclaimed Christ, while in the eyes of the civil authorities their offense was viewed as a disturbance of the peace.

With the possible exception of the debtor, the strictly biblical connotation of “captive” is that of an oppressed innocent. Today, the closest analogy is perhaps to be found in the case of refugees, displaced persons, prisoners of war, those persecuted for religious reasons, and prisoners of conscience.

Michael Cahill

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CAPTIVES

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)