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Alternate titles: aron ha-Berit
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: Article History
Top Questions
What is the Ark of the Covenant?
The Ark of the Covenant is a gold-plated wooden chest that, in Jewish and Christian tradition, houses the two tablets bearing the Ten Commandments that were given to Moses by God.
What was the historical role of the Ark of the Covenant?
According to Jewish and Christian tradition, ancient Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant through the wilderness and occasionally into battle. Under King David, the Ark was laid to rest in the city of Jerusalem. Sometime during the 10th century BCE, King Solomon built the Temple of Jerusalem, and the Ark was moved to the Temple’s innermost sanctum, the Holy of Holies (Qodesh Ha-qadashim in Hebrew). This space was accessible only to the Israelite high priest and only once a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Who can touch the Ark of the Covenant?
Jewish and Christian holy scriptures dictate that the Ark of the Covenant can be carried only by Levites, who constituted the ancient Jewish priestly class. They must carry the Ark by using two wooden poles inserted through rings on its sides, as touching the Ark itself will result in death at the hands of God. According to the Second Book of Samuel, the Levite Uzzah touched the Ark with his hand in order to steady it, and God instantly killed him.
What happened to the Ark of the Covenant?
The Ark of the Covenant’s final fate is unclear. Jewish tradition maintains that the Ark disappeared during the Babylonian sack of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Archaeologists believe that there are no reliable records of the Ark’s whereabouts after this date. Despite this, many theories and claims exist about the Ark’s subsequent location. Learn more.
Ark of the Covenant, Hebrew Aron Ha-berit, in Judaism and Christianity, the ornate, gold-plated wooden chest that in biblical times housed the two tablets of the Law given to Moses by God. The Ark rested in the Holy of Holies inside the Tabernacle of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem and was seen only by the high priest of the Israelites on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
The Levites (priestly functionaries) carried the Ark with them during the Hebrews’ wanderings in the wilderness. Following the conquest of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Ark resided at Shiloh, but from time to time it was carried into battle by the Israelites. Taken to Jerusalem by King David, it was eventually placed in the Temple by King Solomon. The final fate of the Ark is unknown.

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Where Is the Ark of the Covenant?
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
FAQs
What are the 3 things in the Ark of the Covenant? ›
Hebrews 9:4 states that the Ark contained "the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant."
How does Indiana Jones know not to look at the Ark? ›In the bible, there are passages that explain that if a man touches the ark or looks inside it when it is opened, he will die. Indiana Jones has a religious background through his father, so it can be assumed he would be familiar with these passages.
What does the Ark of the Covenant represent? ›The ark of the covenant was a symbol of God's presence among the Israelites a visual reminder that the one true God had made a covenant with them. It was so important to God that he described the arks construction before describing any other sacred object (Ex.
What does Aaron's Rod represent? ›Aaron provides his rod to represent the tribe of Levi, and "it put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds" (Numbers 17:8), as an evidence of the exclusive right to the priesthood of the tribe of Levi.
What made the Ark of the Covenant special? ›Among the most sought-after of these religious antiquities is the famed Ark of the Covenant. This legendary artifact is the ornate, gilded case said to have been built some 3,000 years ago by the Israelites to house the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written.
Who was allowed to touch the Ark of the Covenant? ›Who can touch the Ark of the Covenant? Jewish and Christian holy scriptures dictate that the Ark of the Covenant can be carried only by Levites, who constituted the ancient Jewish priestly class.
Where is the Ark of the Covenant kept today? ›According to church leaders, the Ark of the Covenant has for centuries been closely guarded in Aksum at the Church of St. Mary of Zion.
Where was the Ark of the Covenant last seen? ›One of the most well known holds that Levitical priests moved the Ark to Egypt just before the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586 B.C. From there it was supposedly moved to Ethiopia, where it resides to this day in the town of Aksum, in the St. Mary of Zion cathedral.
When was the last time the Ark of the Covenant was seen? ›The last time the Ark of the Covenant was supposedly seen was in Jerusalem, some 2,600 years ago. Now archaeologists are exploring the ancient town of Kiriath Jearim, where the Bible says the ark was kept for 20 years before being taken to Jerusalem.
Was the Ark of the Covenant a weapon? ›In one of the rounds of fighting between the Israelites and the Philistines, the Israelites decided to deploy an unconventional weapon – the Ark of the Covenant. According to 1 Samuel, the ark was brought to the battlefield, but the outcome was catastrophic.
Who is the chosen nation? ›
When you hear the phrase, “God's chosen nation,” what comes to mind? If you've read the story of the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament, you know that it tells the story of God's interaction with one particular nation, Israel. The Hebrew Scriptures are full of language about Israel's special status as God's chosen nation.
What does trumpet symbolize in the Bible? ›The trumpet is used to build anticipation and tells the reader that an alert, announcement, or warning is about to take place. The seventh trumpet does not bring a plague with it. Rather, it is sounded so that glory is given to God and His kingdom is announced.
What church claims the Ark of the Covenant? ›The Church of Our Lady, Mary of Zion is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church which is claimed to contain the Ark of the Covenant. The church is located in the town of Axum, Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia, near the grounds of Obelisks of Axum.
What is the value of the Ark of the Covenant? ›"We estimate at auction a very conservative value of $80,000 to $120,000. Realistically, I can see it getting into quarter-million-dollar range."
Who was the enemy who took the Ark of the Covenant? ›The Philistine captivity of the Ark was an episode described in the biblical history of the Israelites, in which the Ark of the covenant was in the possession of the Philistines, who had captured it after defeating the Israelites in a battle at a location between Eben-ezer, where the Israelites encamped, and Aphek ( ...
Who touched the Ark of the Covenant and died? ›When the oxen stumbled, making the ark tilt, Uzzah steadied the ark with his hand, in direct violation of the divine law, and he was immediately killed by the Lord for his error.
Did God say I am that I am? ›“And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:7–8, 13–14). Known to ancient Israel as the Lord Jehovah, the premortal Jesus Christ identified Himself as the source to which His people should look for redemption.
Was the Ark of the Covenant ever found? ›Biblical home of the Ark of the Covenant is 'discovered' in a 3,000-year-old temple in Israel that archaeologists believe was 'intentionally desecrated' with animal DUNG by the Philistines. Religious archaeologists in Israel claim they have discovered the stone on which Ark of Covenant once sat.
Who is the guardian of the Ark of the Covenant? ›The Guardian Monk is the only link between the ark and the rest of the world, but he doesn't talk to outsiders.
Which country has the Ark of the Covenant? ›According to Ethiopian tradition, the Ark of the Covenant is preserved in the ancient holy city of Aksum. For centuries, the great relic was kept in the Church of Mary of Zion, where the emperor Iyasu is recorded as having seen it and spoken to it in 1691.
Where was the Ark of the Covenant kept for 3 months? ›
The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.
Where is the original 10 Commandments tablet? ›They published an academic paper that recounts the story of the stone's discovery and provides background information about its historical context. Kaplan eventually sold the stone to an American, Rabbi Saul Deutsch, who took it to the US and put it on display at his Living Torah Museum in Brooklyn, New York.
What was Turkey called in the Bible? ›It's true that the New Testament in the Bible began with Christ and his apostles on the day of Pentecost A.D. 33 and the Bible was in Greek.
Where was the Ark of the Covenant kept for 20 years? ›According to the Book of Samuel, the Ark of the Covenant was stored at Kiryat Ye'arim for 20 years after it was returned to the Israelites by the Philistines, who had captured it in battle and to their dismay were smitten with disease.
How long did the covenant last? ›Age of AbandonmentEdit
The Covenant traces its history back at least 100,000 years, when an ancient species called the Forerunners activated the Halo installations, disappearing from the galaxy. This is referred to as the Age of Abandonment by the Covenant.
Later Menelik went to visit his father, and on his return journey was accompanied by the firstborn sons of some Israelite nobles—who, unbeknown to Menelik, stole the ark and carried it with them to Ethiopia.
Why is Israel so important to the US? ›Israel is a great partner to the United States, and Israel has no greater friend than the United States. Americans and Israelis are united by our shared commitment to democracy, economic prosperity, and regional security. The unbreakable bond between our two countries has never been stronger.
Why are we chosen by God? ›In the Bible days, God Almighty made a choice among all the people He created and set them apart to execute the important purposes of His providence. That they were chosen to this high destiny was not on account of their extraordinary merits, but because God wanted to illustrate His glory to all mankind through them.
What is God calling us to do? ›God calls all of us to be His disciples and to do His work. In the Bible, God makes it clear that we are to love others, care for the poor, and live our lives in such a way that others see Him in us.
What was on top of the lid of the Ark of the Covenant? ›According to the Hebrew Bible, the kaporet (Hebrew: כַּפֹּרֶת kapōreṯ) or mercy seat was the gold lid placed on the Ark of the Covenant, with two cherubim beaten out of the ends to cover and create the space in which Yahweh appeared and dwelled.
What did God promise in his covenant with Abraham? ›
When Abraham arrived in Israel, God made him a promise. He said, “ I will give you this land for your descendants. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.”
Why is it called a mercy seat? ›The mercy seat was the place of transference of sin for forgiveness, of reconciliation between God and His people. Joseph Prince puts it this way: “As long as the blood was there on the mercy seat, He [God] saw only the blood and accepted the people.”
What guards the Ark of the Covenant? ›According to church leaders, the Ark of the Covenant has for centuries been closely guarded in Aksum at the Church of St. Mary of Zion. Not even the high priest of Aksum can enter its resting chamber. Its sole custodian is a virgin monk who cannot leave the sacred grounds until his death.
What are the 5 promises of God? ›- By Faith Alone… ...
- The Promise of Salvation. ...
- The Promise of Freedom from Sin's Grip. ...
- The Promise of His Provision. ...
- The Promise of Freedom from Fear. ...
- Conclusion.
- The promise of the resurrection. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (14:18).
- The promise of the Holy Spirit. “He lives with you and will be in you” (14:17).
- The promise of Christ's return.