Archaic KJV Word
Judge
Modern equivalent: criticize/condemn
What Was Lost
The deliverance. The judges of Israel were not courtroom figures but military deliverers who rescued the oppressed and restored divine order. 'He comes to judge the earth' was good news -- it meant God was coming to set everything right, rescue the victimized, and restore justice. The oppressed longed for judgment.
Closest Survivor in Modern English
judge (still used but heard as 'condemn' rather than 'set things right')
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV Judges 2:16 -- 'The Lord raised up judges, which delivered them'; Psalm 96:13 -- 'He cometh to judge the earth'
Died still used but negativized (~1800)
Hebrew shaphat ('to govern/deliver/set things right/exercise authority on behalf of the oppressed') negativized into 'criticize/condemn.' The deliverer-judge became the condemner-judge.
What Replaced It
“criticize”
Negative evaluation; shaphat was primarily about delivering the oppressed and restoring order
“condemn”
One possible outcome; judging primarily meant governing with justice and rescuing the victimized
“evaluate”
Detached assessment; shaphat was engaged, authoritative intervention on behalf of the wronged