Archaic KJV Word
Pray
Modern equivalent: talk to God
What Was Lost
The self-judgment dimension. Hebrew palal is reflexive -- hitpalel means 'to judge oneself.' Prayer was not primarily asking God for things but standing before God and allowing yourself to be examined, realigned, and transformed. 'Pray without ceasing' meant 'live in continuous self-examination before God,' not 'never stop asking.'
Closest Survivor in Modern English
pray (still used but largely understood as making requests)
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV 1 Thessalonians 5:17 -- 'Pray without ceasing'; Matthew 6:9 -- 'After this manner therefore pray ye'
Died still used but narrowed (~1800)
Hebrew palal ('to judge oneself/intercede/mediate') and Greek proseuchomai ('to move toward a vow/exchange with God') were reduced to 'asking God for things.' Prayer became a request mechanism rather than a relational encounter.
What Replaced It
“ask God”
One direction only; palal was a two-way encounter involving self-examination and divine response
“say prayers”
Recitation of words; prayer was the act of entering God's presence and being changed
“meditate”
Self-focused; palal was directed toward God and included intercession for others