Ark of the Covenant

In the Old Testament, the chest that contained the Tablets of the Law as given to Moses. The holy ark is now the cupboard or enclosure in a synagogue in which the Torah scrolls are kept. It faces the Temple where the original Ark was kept in the holy of holies.

The original Ark was built under Moses' direction when the Israelites were wandering in the desert, and was carried on poles by the priests. King David brought the Ark to Jerusalem.

In addition to the Tablets of the Law, the Ark also contained a pot of manna and Aaron's rod, and was a focus of the divine presence; it figured, for example, at the taking of Jericho. It was kept at Shiloh until captured by the Philistines and set up in their temple at Ashdod. Finally, it found its resting place in the Temple in Jerusalem, until the fall of the city 586 BC when Jeremiah hid it in a cave until God should gather his people again. In post-exilic and New Testament times it no longer existed.