CategoryArchaic Word
Modern Equivalentheld; restrained; kept from seeing.
KJV Word TypeVerb / past participle
DefinitionHeld, kept, restrained, or held fast.
Key Verses"But their eyes were holden that they should not know him." (Luke 24:16)
KJV Usage NoteOften means restrained or prevented from perceiving something.
Common MisunderstandingIt does not mean “holding something by hand” only; it can mean spiritually or mentally restrained.
EtymologyOlder past participle form of “hold,” from Old English healdan.