Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Law" means "rules." The parental instruction metaphor. Torah comes from yarah, 'to throw/cast/point the direction.' Torah was a father taking his child's hand and pointing: 'go this way, not that way, because I love you and know the path.' The psalmist delighted in torah as a beloved gift, not a legal burden.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

Hebrew torah ('instruction/teaching/guidance/direction from a loving father') was translated through Latin lex ('legal code') into English 'law,' converting a father's teaching into a judge's regulations. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by still used but legalized (~1600).

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Law"?

Accepted Answer

"Law" was replaced by: "rules" (though this impersonal regulations; torah was personal instruction from a loving god to his children); "commandments" (though this one component; torah included stories, poems, wisdom, and narrative alongside commands); "legal code" (though this rigid and punitive; torah meant 'direction' -- like a parent pointing the way).

What Does “Law” Mean in the Bible?

What Was Lost