Religious History: The Ark of the Covenant

Kendalyn Perry
1 February 2015
HIST - 134

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Most of what is known about the mysterious Ark of the Covenant comes from the first
five books of the Christian bible, which is also the Jewish Torah. The Ark of the Covenant is a
vessel Yahweh instructed Moses to make during his time on Mount Sinai. Specific instructions
were given to Moses, who assigned the task to be undertaken by the Hebrews hed led out of
Egypt. The Ark was intended to house the commandments Yahweh had relayed to Moses, which
were written on stone tablets. The Ark is one of the many sacred relics of the Hebrew people,
though its whereabouts have been lost.
Yahweh gave to Moses explicit instructions as to how to build the Ark. Including the size
of the Ark and where it was to be placed1, he also instructed a seat, known as the Mercy Seat to
be placed upon the top of the Ark, which has come to be considered a piece of the Ark in
general2. The Ark was to be placed in the section of the Tabernacle3 known as the Holy of
Holies4. This room of the Tabernacle was intended for communication with Yahweh, and the
only seat in the room that of the Mercy Seat, which was reserved for the presence of Yahweh and
none other.
During the 40 years of wandering, Moses and his Hebrew followers would gather up the
Tabernacle and the rest of the holy relics5 take them with them, including the Ark of the
Covenant. According to the biblical stories, the Ark dissuaded attackers, protecting Yahwehs
people from harm as it was his physical embodiment6. Even as the Arks bearers reached the
river Jordan, the waters stilled allowing a safe crossing7.
Eventually the Ark was captured by the Philistines for a brief time8. The Philistines
carried the Ark from city to city as a symbol of their victory over the Hebrews. However,
according to the biblical account, tragedy struck the Philistines in each city the Ark was carried
to. These terrible omens included a plague, an invasion of mice in their cities, and the toppling

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of the statue of their god Dagon9. After deciding the cause of these omens was due to the Ark,
the Philistines returned the Hebrew relic to its rightful people.
The last known location of the Ark of the Covenant would be in ancient Jerusalem,
specifically in the First Temple, built by King Solomon to house the holy relics10. As a
replacement for the impermanent Tabernacle tent, the new temple became the permanent
Tabernacle. Also included in this temple was a special room, also named the Holy of Holies, in
which the Ark was placed with no other furniture11.
Multiple theories exist as to what happened to the Ark after it was placed in the Temple.
A leading theory is that it has become lost under the ruins of the Temple, after it was destroyed
by the Babylonians in 586 BC12. Sometime after the Temple was rebuilt, the Holy of Holies was
limited to one visitor per year13. Yet another theory is that the Ark was taken by Jeremiah and
hidden in a cave on Mount Sinai for protection14. It is also a possibility that the Babylonians
carried off the Ark after looting the Temple before they destroyed it15.
As to whether or not we will ever find the Ark of the Covenant, it is hard to say. Though
we have a description of what Yahweh instructed the Ark to look like, even if we found
something resembling his descriptions, proving the artifact was the original Ark would be
difficult. For the time being, however, it is an interesting enough legend to inspire the
imaginations of researchers, and perhaps someday, the mysteries of the Ark of the Covenant will
be solved.

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Notes
1. All Bible verses were obtained from BibleGateway.com, New International Version. See
Exodus 24, 10-22. Also, Morgensterns The Ark, the Ephod, and the Tent of Meeting.
2. See Exodus 25, 10-22. Also, Harans The Ark and the Cherubim. Also, Bible-History.coms
article on the mercy seat.
3. See Exodus 26, 34. Also, Bible.org
4. See Harans The Disappearance of the Ark and Harans The Ark and the Cherubim.
5. See Ahlstroms The Travels of the Ark. Also The Catholic Encyclopedias Ark of the
Covenant.
6. See Ahlstroms The Travels of the Ark.
7. See Joshua 3, 15-17. Also, The Jewish Encyclopedias Ark of the Covenant.
8. See 1 Samuel 5, 1-5. Also, Harans The Disappearance of the Ark.
9. See The Jewish Encyclopedias Ark of the Covenant.
10. See Harans The Ark and the Cherubim. Also, Jewish Virtual Librarys The Jewish
Temples: The First Temple.
11. See Jewish Virtual Librarys The Jewish Temples: The First Temple.
12. See Morgensterns The Ark, the Ephod, and the Tent of Meeting.
13. See Jewish Virtual Librarys The Jewish Temples: The First Temple.

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14. See Harans The Disappearance of the Ark.
15. See Harans The Disappearance of the Ark.

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Works Cited
Ahlstrom, G.W. "The Travels of the Ark: A Religio-Political Composition." Journal of Near
Eastern Studies 43.2 (1984): 141-49. JSTOR. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
"Ark of the Covenant." Jewish Encyclopedia. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1777-ark-of-the-covenant>.
Bible Gateway. Web. 26 Jan. 2015. <https://www.biblegateway.com/>.
Haran, M. "The Ark and the Cherubim: Their Symbolic Significance in Biblical Ritual." Israel
Exploration Journal 9.1 (1959): 30-8. JSTOR. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
Haran, M. "The Disappearance of the Ark." Israel Exploration Journal 13.1 (1963): 4658.JSTOR. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
"The Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle of Moses." Bible History Online. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Holy_of_Holies.htm>.
"The Jewish Temples: The First Temple - Solomon's Temple." Jewish Virtual Library. Web. 28
Jan. 2015. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/The_Temple.html>.
"The Mercy Seat (The Tabernacle)." Bible History Online. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Mercy_Seat.htm>.
Morgenstern, Julian. "The Ark, the Ephod, and the "Tent of Meeting"" Hebrew Union College
Annual 17 (1942): 153-226. JSTOR. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
Souvay, Charles. "Ark of the Covenant." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert
Appleton Company,1907. 30 Jan. 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01721a.htm>.
Souvay, Charles. "Tabernacle." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1912.30 Jan. 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14424b.htm>.
"What Was the Ark of the Covenant, and Was It Real?" Bible.org. 1 Jan. 2001. Web. 27 Jan.
2015. <https://bible.org/question/what-was-ark-covenant-and-was-it-real>.