Argaz (אַרְגָּז) refers to a small chest or box. In its only narrative use (1 Samuel 6), the Philistines placed golden offerings in an argaz alongside the Ark of the Covenant when returning it to Israel. The word indicates a container separate from but associated with the sacred Ark, used to store the guilt offerings for the plague the Philistines experienced.
The argaz episode reveals how even pagan nations recognized that the Ark of God operated in a realm of supernatural power. The Philistines' gold offerings in the chest were their acknowledgment of Israel's God as a force to be reckoned with. God's glory cannot be contained or controlled by human hands — even Israel learned this to its cost when the Ark was treated carelessly.