Archaic KJV Word
Covenant
Modern equivalent: agreement
What Was Lost
The cutting. Hebrew karat berit literally means 'cut a covenant' because animals were split in half and the parties walked between the pieces, invoking upon themselves the fate of the animals if they broke faith. A covenant was not a handshake but a blood oath. When God 'cut' a covenant with Abraham, the imagery was terrifying and permanent.
Closest Survivor in Modern English
covenant (still used but understood as 'really serious promise' rather than 'blood-sealed identity-creating bond')
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV Genesis 17:7 -- 'I will establish my covenant between me and thee'; Jeremiah 31:31 -- 'I will make a new covenant'
Died still used but hollowed (~1900)
Hebrew berit ('blood-sealed bond/cut agreement') degraded into a synonym for 'contract' or 'agreement.' The blood, the self-curse, and the binding permanence evaporated.
What Replaced It
“contract”
Bilateral, breakable, and negotiable; a covenant was unilateral, permanent, and sealed by blood sacrifice
“agreement”
Casual and dissoluble; a covenant was a permanent bond that created new identity
“promise”
One-dimensional; a covenant included promises but also rituals, obligations, blessings, curses, and new names