Archaic KJV Word
Dominion
Modern equivalent: control over
What Was Lost
The shepherd-king model. 'Dominion over the earth' was not 'exploit the planet' but 'tend it as God's appointed steward-king.' The image was a king whose authority was exercised for the flourishing of his subjects, not for his own enrichment. Dominion was service-authority, not exploitative control.
Closest Survivor in Modern English
stewardship (captures the care dimension but loses the authority dimension)
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV Genesis 1:26 -- 'Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea'; Psalm 72:8 -- 'He shall have dominion also from sea to sea'
Died still used but corrupted (~1800)
Hebrew radah ('to rule as a shepherd-king/exercise care-giving authority/tend and steward on behalf of the true owner') was corrupted into 'dominate/exploit.' Dominion became domination.
What Replaced It
“domination”
Exploitation; radah was the authority of a steward caring for the owner's property
“control”
Impersonal management; dominion was relational responsibility for the well-being of what was entrusted
“rule over”
Implies oppression; radah was the authority of a good shepherd over the flock -- exercised for their benefit