Coffer

The coffer (Hebrew argaz) appears in the account of the return of the ark of the covenant from Philistine territory in 1 Samuel 6. When the Philistines determined to send the ark back to Israel to end the divine plagues upon them, their priests instructed them to place a coffer alongside it containing golden images — five golden tumors and five golden mice — as a guilt offering. The coffer was a small box or chest attached to or placed beside the cart carrying the ark.

Three references in 1 Samuel 6:8, 11, 15 trace the coffer's journey: it was placed beside the ark on the cart, arrived at Beth-shemesh with the ark, and was taken down by the Levites. The coffer thus served as the container for the Philistines' votive offering acknowledging the power of Israel's God. Smith notes that argaz refers to a movable box hanging from the side of the cart — a portable receptacle designed for the specific purpose of transporting the guilt offering alongside the ark.