Lexical Summary argaz: Box, chest Original Word: אַרְגָּז Strong's Exhaustive Concordance coffer Perhaps from ragaz (in the sense of being suspended), a box (as a pannier) -- coffer. see HEBREW ragaz NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ragaz Definition a box, chest NASB Translation box (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs אֶרְגַּז noun masculine box, chest, or like receptacle (compare Arabic  a kind of (camel-) vehicle for women, also a garment containing stones, etc., as balance, makeweight (at side of haudaj); from above √, as swaying ? Syriac  sack, Talmud אַרְגָּז chest, coffin); — ׳הָא 1 Samuel 6:8,11,15, compare HPS. Topical Lexicon Biblical context ’Argaz appears exclusively within the narrative of the Philistines’ return of the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 6). After seven months of calamity, the Philistine diviners prescribe that the Ark be placed on a new cart drawn by two milk cows, with a separate chest containing a guilt offering of “five golden tumors and five golden mice” (1 Samuel 6:4). Three verses record the chest itself: 1 Samuel 6:8, 11, 15. Each verse purposefully distinguishes the chest from the Ark, underscoring both God’s holiness and the required separation between the sacred Ark and the representation of judgment. Description and probable form While Scripture offers no measurements, the object is called a “chest” (Berean Standard Bible) and is clearly portable. Given Near-Eastern craftsmanship of the Late Iron Age, it was likely a wooden box reinforced for travel. The term carries no inherent sanctity; its value derives solely from what it carries and the redemptive event it serves. Narrative function in 1 Samuel 1 Samuel 6 places the chest at the center of three decisive actions: 1. Instruction (verse 8) – Philistine leaders obey prophetic counsel: “in a chest beside it place the gold objects you are sending Him as a guilt offering.” In every movement, the chest testifies to the reality of divine judgment and the necessity of atonement. Theological significance 1. Acknowledgment of guilt — The Philistines confess that their plagues came from “the hand of his God” (1 Samuel 6:5). The chest, packed with images of their affliction, acts as tangible repentance. Lessons for ministry • Confession must be concrete. Genuine repentance is evidenced by action, not sentiment. Related biblical imagery While ’argaz is unique to 1 Samuel 6, other “chests” advance similar themes: Summary The brief yet deliberate appearance of ’argaz frames a critical lesson: God judges sin, accepts prescribed atonement, and must be approached with reverence. The chest becomes a silent witness to the sovereignty of Yahweh over Israel and the nations, and to the enduring principle that repentance, properly expressed, paves the way for restored relationship with the living God. Forms and Transliterations בָאַרְגַּ֖ז בארגז הָאַרְגַּ֗ז הָאַרְגַּ֤ז הארגז ḇā’argaz ḇā·’ar·gaz hā’argaz hā·’ar·gaz haarGaz vaarGazLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 6:8 HEB: אָשָׁ֔ם תָּשִׂ֥ימוּ בָאַרְגַּ֖ז מִצִּדּ֑וֹ וְשִׁלַּחְתֶּ֥ם NAS: to Him as a guilt offering in a box by its side. KJV: him [for] a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side INT: A guilt and put A box side send 1 Samuel 6:11 1 Samuel 6:15 3 Occurrences |
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