Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Rock" means "foundation." The cliff-fortress. In the Judean wilderness, a tsur was a massive rock formation with caves, overhangs, and high ground -- a natural fortress where David literally hid from Saul. 'The Lord is my rock' was not 'God is stable' but 'God is the massive cliff I hide behind when the army is hunting me.'

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

Hebrew tsur/sela ('crag/cliff-fortress/massive immovable geological formation that provides shelter and vantage') was flattened into a generic metaphor for 'stability.' The military, geographical, and survival dimensions evaporated. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by still used but metaphor-ized (~1800).

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Rock"?

Accepted Answer

"Rock" was replaced by: "foundation" (though this structural support; the rock was also a fortress, a hiding place, and a high ground vantage point); "stability" (though this abstract quality; the rock was a specific, tangible, massive reality you could hide behind, climb on, and defend from); "strength" (though this internal quality; the rock was external -- something you fled to, not something you generated).

What Does “Rock” Mean in the Bible?

What Was Lost