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.

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.

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.

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.