Archaic KJV Word
Inherit
Modern equivalent: receive after death
What Was Lost
The land promise. Inheritance in scripture was rooted in God's gift of the Promised Land -- not a bequest from the dead but a living God's gift to His children. 'Inherit the earth' echoed the original promise to Abraham. The meek would not receive a death benefit but would be given the renewed creation as a covenant gift from their living Father.
Closest Survivor in Modern English
inherit (still used but heard as 'receive from a dead person' rather than 'receive God's promised possession')
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV Matthew 5:5 -- 'The meek shall inherit the earth'; Matthew 25:34 -- 'Inherit the kingdom prepared for you'
Died still used but legalized (~1800)
Hebrew nachal/yarash ('to receive as a divine gift/take possession of what God has promised/enter into covenant blessing') was legalized into 'receive money when a relative dies.' Inheritance became a legal transaction rather than a covenant gift.
What Replaced It
“receive”
Generic and passive; inheriting was entering into a divinely promised possession
“get after death”
Post-mortem legal process; biblical inheritance was often received while the giver was alive and active
“be given”
Passive; inheriting involved actively entering and possessing what was promised