pre-vent' (qadham; prophthano, phthano): "Prevent" occurs in the King James Version in the literal but obsolete sense of "to come or go before," "to anticipate," not in the sense of "to hinder." It is the translation of qadham, "to be sharp," "to be in front," "to be beforehand" (2Sa 22:6,19, the Revised Version (British and American) "came upon" Job 3:12, the Revised Version (British and American) "receive"; Job 30:27, "are come upon"; Job 41:11, "first given"; Ps 18:5,18, "came upon"; Ps 21:3, the American Standard Revised Version "meetest"; Ps 59:10, the American Standard Revised Version "meet"; Ps 79:8, the American Standard Revised Version "meet"; Ps 88:13, "come before"; Ps 119:147-148, the American Standard Revised Version "anticipated"; Isa 21:14, "did meet"; Am 9:10, the American Standard Revised Version "meet"). In the New Testament prophthano, with same meaning, is translated "prevent" (Mt 17:25, "Jesus prevented him," the Revised Version (British and American) "spake first to him"); phthano (1Th 4:15, "shall not prevent," the Revised Version (British and American) "shall in no wise precede"). "Prevent" in the above sense occurs in The Wisdom of Solomon 6:13, the Revised Version (British and American) "forestalleth" (phthano); 16:28, "we must prevent the sun to give thee thanks," the Revised Version (British and American) "rise before."
⇒See the definition of prevent in the KJV Dictionary
W. L. Walker