TR: ʼārôn → kibōtós (The Ark)¶
The Chain¶
Hebrew OT LXX (Greek OT) Greek NT
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אָרוֹן (ʼārôn) → κιβωτός (kibōtós) → κιβωτός (G2787)
H727, 174x in OT 160x as translation 6x in NT
"box, chest, ark" of ʼārôn "ark"
LXX also used κιβωτός for H8392 תֵּבָה (têbâh, Noah's ark / Moses' basket) — 23x, PMI 21.62. The Greek term thus inherits both Hebrew referents simultaneously.
OT Usage (Hebrew)¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| H727 | אָרוֹן (ʼārôn) | 174 | box, chest, ark; from root meaning "to gather" |
| H8392 | תֵּבָה (têbâh) | ~28 | chest, box (Noah's ark; Moses' basket in Exod 2:3, 5) |
H727 is used almost exclusively for the Ark of the Covenant — the gold-covered acacia wood chest housed in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle and Temple. Its single non-cultic use is the coffin of Joseph (Gen 50:26). H8392 is used for Noah's floating chest and for the wicker basket of Moses; it never refers to the Ark of the Covenant.
Key OT passages: - Exod 25:10 — "And they shall make an ark [ʼārôn] of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof..." - Josh 3:3 — "When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it." - Gen 6:14 (H8392) — "Make thee an ark [têbâh] of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark..."
[H727 canonical word study: TODO(need H727 study)]
LXX Bridge¶
| Hebrew | Greek Translation | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| H727 ʼārôn | κιβωτός (G2787) | 160x | Primary and near-exclusive equivalent; PMI 34.64 |
| H8392 têbâh | κιβωτός (G2787) | 23x | Noah's ark and Moses' basket |
Semantic shift: The LXX chose the same κιβωτός for both H727 and H8392, merging two distinct Hebrew objects under one Greek term. In Hebrew, the Ark of the Covenant (aron) and Noah's ark (tevah) are lexically unrelated; in Greek (and therefore in NT typology), they share identity. This is a significant LXX simplification that opens a typological bridge between Noah's salvation and the Mosaic sanctuary.
The other major Greek words co-occurring with H727 in the LXX — διαθήκη (G1242, covenant), ἱλαστήριον (G2435, mercy seat), μαρτύριον (G3142, testimony), πλάξ (G4109, tablets) — show the covenant/sanctuary semantic field surrounding the ark.
NT Usage (Greek)¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| G2787 | κιβωτός (kibōtós) | 6 | ark (of Noah, 4 verses); ark of the covenant (2 verses) |
Key NT passages: - Heb 9:4 — "the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant" - Heb 11:7 — "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." - Rev 11:19 — "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." - 1 Pet 3:20 — "while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water"
[G2787 canonical word study: G2787-kibotos.md]
Direct OT→NT Connections¶
| NT Verse | OT Background | Shared Word | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heb 9:4 | Exod 25:10–22; Num 3:31 | ʼārôn → kibōtós | Detailed contents of the Ark mirror Exod/Num exactly; LXX vocabulary carried intact |
| Heb 11:7 | Gen 6:14–22 | têbâh → kibōtós | Noah's ark cited as a faith act; the same Greek word connects it to the covenant ark |
| Rev 11:19 | Exod 25:22 | ʼārôn → kibōtós | Heavenly ark disclosed at the 7th trumpet — OT Most Holy Place theology projected onto the eschatological temple |
| 1 Pet 3:20–21 | Gen 7 | têbâh → kibōtós | Eight souls saved "through water" becomes a type of baptism; salvation through the ark = salvation through the water |
| Matt 24:38 / Luke 17:27 | Gen 7 | têbâh → kibōtós | Jesus uses the flood/ark as a sign of sudden judgment at the parousia — "as it was in the days of Noah" |
Continuity and Shifts¶
What stays the same: - κιβωτός is used exclusively for these two objects in all NT occurrences; there is no semantic drift - The Ark of the Covenant retains its full OT theological weight: covenant, divine presence, law tablets, and Aaron's rod - The Hebraic phrase "ark of the covenant/testament" (Heb 9:4; Rev 11:19) directly mirrors the OT formula ʼărôn habberîth
What shifts: - The LXX's lexical fusion (one word for both arks) enables typology that the Hebrew text resists — Noah's salvation through water connects to baptism (1 Pet 3:20–21); Noah's ark as a "saving" vessel (Heb 11:7) implicitly echoes the salvation function of the covenant ark - In Revelation, the heavenly ark (Rev 11:19) appears as a climactic eschatological disclosure — the covenant object is real, intact, and resident in the heavenly sanctuary; this presupposes the full OT theology of H727
Generated from: gather_trace_data.py, search_strongs.py Last updated: 2026-04-02