Archaic KJV Word
Compass
Modern equivalent: go around
What Was Lost
The active, strategic encirclement. When Israel compassed Jericho, they performed a deliberate, complete, sacred circuit -- not a casual stroll around the perimeter. The verb compass conveyed military precision and ritual purpose. 'We fetched a compass' meant they sailed a curved course, not that they retrieved a navigation device.
Closest Survivor in Modern English
encompass (retains the circling meaning but as a metaphor for inclusion)
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV Joshua 6:3 -- 'Ye shall compass the city'; Acts 28:13 -- 'We fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium'
Died ~1750
Narrowed from the verb 'to circle around/surround/encompass' and the noun 'a circling path' to primarily the magnetic navigation instrument, obscuring the active, encircling meaning.
What Replaced It
“surround”
Static; compass-as-verb implied active, deliberate circling with purpose
“encircle”
Closer but lacks the strategic dimension; compassing a city was a military maneuver
“go around”
Casual; compass carried the formality of a deliberate, complete circuit