• ARK OF THE COVENANT

      

    Bible Study Resource

    The Ark of the Covenant disappeared from the Jewish Temple somewhere before or during the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 BC. It may or may not have survived. There has been much speculation about it. 

    What was the Ark like? 

    Cherubim (?) on the side of the shrine in Tutankhamun's tomb

    There is a detailed description in the Bible, but of course no-one knows exactly what it looked like. 

    On the other hand… 

    People tend to think of the Temple in Jerusalem and its furnishings as unique, different from anything around at that time.

    That was not so. Then, as now, sacred architecture was influenced by what was happening in nearby countries and states.

    Take an example: every Christian church is different – designed by a different architect, catering to different congregations and beliefs.

    The Bible specifies 'two cherubim of hammered gold with wings spread upward, facing each other at the ends of the cover'

    But then again they are all similar, or have features in common. 

    So it was in the ancient world – and the Temple of Jerusalem and its ancient furnishings were no exception. The people who built probably borrowed ideas and designs from surrounding cultures. 

    Specifications for the Ark of the Covenant

    What are the specifications in the Bible description of the Ark, in Exodus 25:10-21? 

    • a chest of acacia wood
    • an overlay  of pure gold, inside and out, with gold molding
    • four gold rings fastened to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other
    • poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold, inserted into the rings
    • an atonement cover of pure gold
    • two cherubim of hammered gold with wings spread upward, facing each other at the ends of the cover.

    See the full Bible text, listing the specifications, at end of this page. 

    Shrine of Anubis from the tomb of Tutankhamun; note the poles at either side, used for carrying the shrine from place to place

    These are the specifications. So what was around at the time? What might the designers of the Ark been influenced by? 

    Tutankhamun’s Tomb

    One of the most startling examples comes from the tomb of Tutankhamun. 

    When Howard Carter opened the inner chamber, he found a statue of Anubis, Egyptian god of the dead, sitting on top of a large box covered with pure gold. It had poles inserted into rings so that it could be easily carried. 

    The Bible tells us that the Ark was originally transported from shrine to shrine, before David built a permanent home for it in the Temple in Jerusalem. 

    The poles of acacia, specified in the Bible, were used in much the same way as the poles on the Shrine of Anubis – to lift and carry. 

    The outer casings around Tutankhamun’s coffin were covered with hammered gold leaf. At each corner, and on the doors, were winged female figures (cherubim?) who stretched their wings out and over the surface of the casings, as if to protect its contents. 

    From the tomb of TutankhamunSurely this cannot be coincidence? Each item described in the Bible 

    • the winged protectors
    • the hammered gold and
    • the poles fitted onto moveable shrines

    appears in Tutankhamun’s tomb. One must assume that the Egyptian designs were copied and adapted by the Hebrew tribes of the time when they created their own religious artifacts. 

      

    Bible Text describing the Ark

    Exodus 25:10-21 

    10 Have them make a chest of acacia wood–two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 

    An artist's recreation of the Ark: James Tissot, Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle

    An artist's recreation of the Ark: James Tissot, 'Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle'

    11 Overlay it with pure gold, inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 

    12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 

    13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 

    14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. 

    15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. 

    16 Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. 

    17 Make an atonement cover of pure gold–two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 

    18 And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 

    19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 

    20 The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 

    21 Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. 

    Plan of the Temple in Jerusalem

    Plan of the Temple in Jerusalem; the Ark was kept in the inner-most part of the sanctuary