Archaic KJV Word
Righteousness
Modern equivalent: moral goodness
What Was Lost
The restorative, relational dimension. Tsedaqah was not about personal moral perfection but about faithfully maintaining and restoring right relationships. A righteous king fed the poor, freed the captive, and restored the marginalized. 'Hunger and thirst for righteousness' meant craving a world set right, not craving moral purity.
Closest Survivor in Modern English
righteousness (still used in religious contexts but heard as 'moral superiority')
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV Matthew 5:6 -- 'Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness'
Died still used but misunderstood (~1900)
Hebrew tsedaqah meant 'right relationships/restorative justice/covenant faithfulness'; English 'righteousness' became moralistic rule-keeping -- 'being a good person' rather than 'making things right.'
What Replaced It
“morality”
Individual rule-keeping; righteousness was relational and communal -- putting broken things right
“goodness”
Vague and subjective; righteousness had a specific standard -- God's character expressed in human community
“justice”
Closer, but modern 'justice' focuses on punishment; tsedaqah focused on restoration