Question 1

What does "Froward" mean in the King James Bible?

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Froward" means "perverse." The directional moral language. Froward was the antonym of toward -- one was facing-toward-God, the other facing-away-from-God. English lost this spatial moral vocabulary. A froward heart was literally a heart turned in the wrong direction. You could not be accidentally froward; it required deliberate rotation away from the good.

Question 2

Why did the word "Froward" disappear from modern English?

Accepted Answer

The word simply died, leaving no direct replacement. 'Froward' (opposite of 'toward' -- turned away from, perverse) had no successor that captured its specific meaning of willful perversity. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by ~1800.

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Froward"?

Accepted Answer

"Froward" was replaced by: "perverse" (though this sexual connotations in modern usage; froward meant morally twisted/turned away from the good without sexual implication); "stubborn" (though this passive resistance; froward was active -- deliberately turning away, choosing the opposite of what is right); "crooked" (though this physical metaphor; froward was moral and directional -- facing away from god).

What Does “Froward” Mean in the Bible?

What Was Lost