Bible Dictionary
TOKEN
A token is a sign or tangible indication of something, often serving as evidence or a memorial. In the Bible it may mark a covenant, confirm a promise, identify a person, or demonstrate God’s work.
Definition
A token is a sign or tangible indication of something. It is virtually synonymous with “sign,” though it may suggest something more concrete or palpable. A token can serve as evidence, confirmation, or a memorial.
Biblical Usage
Biblical tokens may mark or confirm a covenant, preserve a memorial, or provide evidence. The term is used of signs associated with the exodus, a memorial connected with the priesthood, and the sign given in the account of Rahab. New Testament examples have varied contexts and meanings.
Historical Background
The source notes that the King James Version often uses “sign” and “token” with little distinction. Later English versions replace “token” with “sign” or “evidence” in several passages.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>to'-k'-n ('oth, usually rendered "sign" (on De 22:14 ff see the comms.)): "Sign" and "token" are virtually synonymous words and in the King James Version are used with little or no distinction (in Ex 13, compare 13:9 and 16). If there is any difference, "token" is perhaps more concrete and palpable than "sign," but this difference cannot be stressed. The modern use of "token," however, as a "memorial of something past" found in Nu 17:10; Jos 2:12. the Revised Version (British and American) has substituted sign in Ex 13:16; Ps 135:9; Isa 44:25, and the American Standard Revised Version has "evidence" in Job 21:29 (a needlessly prosaic change). The four New Testament examples, Mr 14:44; Php 1:28; 2Th 1:5; 3:17 (each for a different Greek word) are self-explanatory.</p><p>See SIGN.</p><p>Burton Scott Easton</p>