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# captive

noun (a captive, captives); adjective (captive)

«captive» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A captive is a person or animal that has been caught and is kept somewhere and not allowed to leave. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#m1)
2. Captive means kept and not free: captive animals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#m2)
3. A captive audience must listen because they cannot leave. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#m3)

### In the lessons

In history and adventure stories (taken captive, held captive), in science about zoos and wildlife (captive breeding), and in Bible stories (the people taken captive to Babylon).

### Examples

- The pirates took the sailors captive. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#x1)
- The prince was held captive in a tower. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#x2)
- Captive pandas are bred in zoos to save the species. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#x3)
- The captives escaped at night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#x4)
- On the long bus ride, Dad had a captive audience for his jokes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#x5)
- The Bible tells of the Israelites held captive in Babylon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#x6)
- Among his captives was a Persian princess, to whom he was warmly attached. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/#x7)

### Note

Noun captivity (in captivity). Captor = the one who holds the captive. Captivate means to charm, not to capture.

## In Jewish tradition

It means a prisoner taken in war or carried away from the homeland. It is often used about the people being taken into exile, as when Judah was carried away to Babylon.

**Interpretation.** Tradition reads such warnings as a pattern in Jewish history: exile because of straying from the covenant, and then return. Freeing captives became a great duty, called pidyon shevuyim. The psalm says God made even the captors pity the captives.

### Examples

- Asshur shall carry thee away captive. (Torah NUM.24.22, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/C/captive/#x1)
- and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives, took they captive and spoiled, even all that was in the house. (Torah GEN.34.29, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/C/captive/#x2)
- And Laban said to Jacob: 'What hast thou done, that thou hast outwitted me, and carried away my daughters as though captives of the sword? (Torah GEN.31.26, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/C/captive/#x3)
- So Judah was carried away captive out of his land. (Prophets 2KI.25.21, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/C/captive/#x4)
- For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. (Writings 2CH.28.17, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/C/captive/#x5)
- He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captive. (Writings PSA.106.46, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/C/captive/#x6)

### Note

Noun captivity (in captivity). Captor = the one who holds the captive. Captivate means to charm, not to capture.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «captive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/captive/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«captive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/captive.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «captive» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/C/captive/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«captive» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/captive.html) on Mova free.