ARK OF THE COVENANT — a sacred portable chest which—along with its two related items, the MERCY SEAT and CHERUBIM—was the most important sacred object of the Israelites during the wilderness period. It was also known as the ark of the Lord (Josh. 6:11), the ark of God (1 Sam. 3:3), and the ark of the Testimony (a synonym of covenant; Ex. 25:22).

The ark of the covenant was the only article of furniture in the innermost room, or Holy of Holies, of Moses’ tabernacle and of Solomon's Temple. From between the two cherubim that were on the ark of the Testimony, God spoke to Moses. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, but only with sacrificial blood that he sprinkled on the mercy seat for the atonement of sin (Leviticus 16).

Description. The Hebrew word translated as ark is also translated as coffin. In the last verse of the Book of Genesis, this word is used of the coffin in which Joseph's embalmed body was placed after he died in Egypt (Gen. 50:26). The ark of the covenant was also a “coffin,” or chest 2 /2 cubits long, 1 /2 cubits wide, and 1 /2 cubits deep (or, in inches, about 45 by 27 by 27). The builder of the ark was a man named Bezaleel (Ex. 37:1).

The ark was made of acacia wood (shittim wood, KJV) overlaid with gold. It had four rings of gold through which carrying poles were inserted (Ex. 37:1–9). These poles were never removed from the rings, apparently to show that the ark was a portable sanctuary. Even when the ark was placed in Solomon's Temple, the poles stayed in place, and they could be seen from a certain point outside the inner sanctuary (1 Kin. 8:8).

The ark had a gold cover known as the “mercy seat” (Ex. 25:17–22) because the blood of a sacrificial animal was applied to it on the Day of Atonement, signifying the mercy of God to forgive sin. The ark had a gold molding or “crown” surrounding the top edge. The mercy seat was a slab of pure gold that fit exactly within the crown of the ark, so the mercy seat could not slide around during transportation.

Of one piece with the mercy seat were two angelic statues called cherubim. They stood at opposite ends of the mercy seat, facing each other with wings outstretched above and their faces bowed toward the mercy seat. They marked the place where the Lord sat enthroned (1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2) as well as the place where He communicated with Moses.

Photo: Levant Photo Service

A stone carving that may represent the Ark of the Covenant, discovered at the excavation of a synagogue in Capernaum.

Contents. Within the ark were the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments (Ex. 25:16, 21), considered to be the basis of the covenant between God and His people Israel. Thus the ark was often called the ark of the Testimony. The golden pot of MANNA, which God miraculously preserved as a testimony to future generations (Ex. 16:32–34), was also deposited in the ark. The third item in the ark was AARON’S ROD that budded to prove that Aaron was God's chosen (Num. 17:1–11).

While the New Testament states that the ark contained these three items (Heb. 9:4), the ark must have lost two of them through the years. At the dedication of Solomon's Temple, Aaron's rod and the golden pot of manna were gone: “There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb” (1 Kin. 8:9).

History. The ark was carried by the sons of Levi during the wilderness wanderings (Deut. 31:9). Carried into the Jordan River by the priests, the ark caused the waters to part so Israel could cross on dry ground (Josh. 3:6–4:18). During the conquest of the land of Canaan, the ark was carried at the fall of Jericho (Josh. 6:4–11); later it was deposited at Shiloh, which had become the home of the tabernacle (Josh. 18:1).

Trusting the “magic power” of the ark rather than God, the Israelites took the ark into battle against the Philistines and suffered a crushing defeat (1 Sam. 4:1–11). The Philistines captured the ark, only to send it back when disaster struck their camp (1 Samuel 5–6). It remained at Kirjath Jearim until David brought it to Jerusalem (1 Chr. 13:3–14; 15:1–28). Solomon established it in the Holy of Holies of the Temple that he built.

Nothing is known of what became of the ark. It disappeared when Nebuchadnezzar's armies destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C., and was not available when the second and third temples were built. Synagogues today continue the centuries-old tradition of providing a special place for a chest or ark containing the Torah (scrolls of the Law).