Ark of the Covenant - wikipedia Ark of the Covenant Not to be confused with Noah 's Ark. Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant by Benjamin West, 1800 The Ark of the Covenant ( Hebrew : אָרוֹן הַבְּרִית ‬, Modern Arōn Ha'brēt, Tiberian ʾĀrôn Habbərîṯ ), also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a gold - covered wooden chest with lid cover described in the Book of Exodus as containing the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. According to various texts within the Hebrew Bible, it also contained Aaron 's rod and a pot of manna. Hebrews 9 : 4 describes : `` The ark of the covenant ( was ) covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron 's rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant. '' The biblical account relates that, approximately one year after the Israelites ' exodus from Egypt, the Ark was created according to the pattern given to Moses by God when the Israelites were encamped at the foot of biblical Mount Sinai. Thereafter, the gold - plated acacia chest was carried by its staves while en route by the Levites approximately 2,000 cubits ( approximately 800 meters or 2,600 feet ) in advance of the people when on the march or before the Israelite army, the host of fighting men. When carried, the Ark was always hidden under a large veil made of skins and blue cloth, always carefully concealed, even from the eyes of the priests and the Levites who carried it. God was said to have spoken with Moses `` from between the two cherubim '' on the Ark 's cover. When at rest the tabernacle was set up and the holy Ark was placed under the veil of the covering, the staves of it crossing the middle side bars to hold it up off the ground. Contents 1 Biblical account 1.1 Construction and description 1.2 Mobile vanguard 1.3 Capture by the Philistines 1.4 In the days of King David 1.5 In Solomon 's Temple 1.6 The Babylonian Conquest and aftermath 2 References in Scripture 2.1 Tanakh 2.2 Second Book of Maccabees 2.3 New Testament 2.4 The Ark in Islamic sources 3 Possible locations 3.1 Mount Nebo 3.2 Ethiopia 3.3 Southern Africa 3.4 Europe 3.4. 1 Chartres Cathedral, France 3.4. 2 Rennes - le - Château, then to the United States 3.4. 3 Rome 3.4. 4 United Kingdom 3.4. 5 Ireland 3.5 Egypt 3.5. 1 Tutankhamun 's tomb 4 In popular culture 5 Yom HaAliyah 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Biblical account The covered ark and seven priests with rams ' horns, at the Battle of Jericho, in an eighteenth - century artist 's depiction. Construction and description According to the Book of Exodus, God instructed Moses on Mount Sinai during his 40 - day stay upon the mountain within the thick cloud and darkness where God was and he was shown the pattern for the tabernacle and furnishings of the Ark to be made of shittim wood to house the Tablets of Stone. Moses instructed Bezalel and Oholiab to construct the Ark. In Deuteronomy, however, the Ark is said to have been built specifically by Moses himself without reference of Bezalel or Oholiab. The Book of Exodus gives detailed instructions on how the Ark is to be constructed. It is to be 21⁄2 cubits in length, 11⁄2 in breadth, and 11⁄2 in height ( approximately 131 × 79 × 79 cm or 52 × 31 × 31 in ). Then it is to be gilded entirely with gold, and a crown or molding of gold is to be put around it. Four rings of gold are to be attached to its four corners, two on each side -- and through these rings staves of shittim - wood overlaid with gold for carrying the Ark are to be inserted ; and these are not to be removed. A golden lid, the kapporet ( traditionally `` mercy seat '' in Christian translations ) which is covered with 2 golden cherubim, is to be placed above the Ark. Missing from the account are instructions concerning the thickness of the mercy seat and details about the cherubim other than that the cover be beaten out the ends of the Ark and that they form the space where God will appear. The Ark is finally to be placed under the veil of the covering. Mobile vanguard Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark, painting by James Tissot, c. 1900 The biblical account continues that, after its creation by Moses, the Ark was carried by the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Whenever the Israelites camped, the Ark was placed in a separate room in a sacred tent, called the Tabernacle. When the Israelites, led by Joshua toward the Promised Land, arrived at the banks of the Jordan river, the Ark was carried in the lead preceding the people and was the signal for their advance. During the crossing, the river grew dry as soon as the feet of the priests carrying the Ark touched its waters, and remained so until the priests -- with the Ark -- left the river after the people had passed over. As memorials, twelve stones were taken from the Jordan at the place where the priests had stood. In the Battle of Jericho, the Ark was carried round the city once a day for seven days, preceded by the armed men and seven priests sounding seven trumpets of rams ' horns. On the seventh day, the seven priests sounding the seven trumpets of rams ' horns before the Ark compassed the city seven times and, with a great shout, Jericho 's wall fell down flat and the people took the city. After the defeat at Ai, Joshua lamented before the Ark. When Joshua read the Law to the people between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, they stood on each side of the Ark. We next hear of the Ark in Bethel where it was being cared for by the priest Phineas the grandson of Aaron ( where ' Bethel ' is translated ' the House of God ' in the King James Version ). According to this verse it was consulted by the people of Israel when they were planning to attack the Benjaminites at the battle of Gibeah. Later, however, the Ark was kept at Shiloh, another religious centre some 16 km ( 10 mi ) north of Bethel, at the time of the prophet Samuel 's apprenticeship, where it was cared for by Hophni and Phinehas, two sons of Eli. Capture by the Philistines 1728 illustration of the Ark at the erection of the Tabernacle and the sacred vessels, as in Exodus 40 : 17 - 19 Main article : Philistine captivity of the Ark A few years later the elders of Israel decided to take the Ark out onto the battlefield to assist them against the Philistines, after being defeated at the battle of Eben - Ezer. They were, however, heavily defeated with the loss of 30,000 men. The Ark was captured by the Philistines and Hophni and Phinehas were killed. The news of its capture was at once taken to Shiloh by a messenger `` with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. '' The old priest, Eli, fell dead when he heard it ; and his daughter - in - law, bearing a son at the time the news of the capture of the Ark was received, named him Ichabod -- explained as `` The glory has departed Israel '' in reference to the loss of the Ark. The mother of the child Ichabod died at his birth. The Philistines took the Ark to several places in their country, and at each place misfortune befell them. At Ashdod it was placed in the temple of Dagon. The next morning Dagon was found prostrate, bowed down, before it ; and on being restored to his place, he was on the following morning again found prostrate and broken. The people of Ashdod were smitten with tumors ; a plague of mice was sent over the land. The affliction of boils was also visited upon the people of Gath and of Ekron, whither the Ark was successively removed. After the Ark had been among them for seven months, the Philistines, on the advice of their diviners, returned it to the Israelites, accompanying its return with an offering consisting of golden images of the tumors and mice wherewith they had been afflicted. The Ark was set up in the field of Joshua the Beth - shemite, and the Beth - shemites offered sacrifices and burnt offerings. Out of curiosity the men of Beth - shemesh gazed at the Ark ; and as a punishment, seventy of them ( fifty thousand and seventy in some translations ) were smitten by the Lord. The Bethshemites sent to Kirjath - jearim, or Baal - Judah, to have the Ark removed ; and it was taken to the house of Abinadab, whose son Eleazar was sanctified to keep it. Kirjath - jearim remained the abode of the Ark for twenty years. Under Saul, the Ark was with the army before he first met the Philistines, but the king was too impatient to consult it before engaging in battle. In 1 Chronicles 13 : 3 it is stated that the people were not accustomed to consulting the Ark in the days of Saul. In the days of King David Illustration from the 13th century Morgan Bible of David bringing the Ark into Jerusalem ( 2 Samuel 6 ). At the beginning of his reign over the United Monarchy, King David removed the Ark from Kirjath - jearim amid great rejoicing. On the way to Zion, Uzzah, one of the drivers of the cart that carried the Ark, put out his hand to steady the Ark, and was struck dead by God for touching it. The place was subsequently named `` Perez - Uzzah '', literally `` Outburst Against Uzzah '', as a result. David, in fear, carried the Ark aside into the house of Obed - edom the Gittite, instead of carrying it on to Zion, and there it stayed three months. On hearing that God had blessed Obed - edom because of the presence of the Ark in his house, David had the Ark brought to Zion by the Levites, while he himself, `` girded with a linen ephod... danced before the Lord with all his might '' and in the sight of all the public gathered in Jerusalem - a performance that caused him to be scornfully rebuked by his first wife, Saul 's daughter Michal. In Zion, David put the Ark in the tabernacle he had prepared for it, offered sacrifices, distributed food, and blessed the people and his own household. The Levites were appointed to minister before the Ark. David 's plan of building a temple for the Ark was stopped at the advice of God. The Ark was with the army during the siege of Rabbah ; and when David fled from Jerusalem at the time of Absalom 's conspiracy, the Ark was carried along with him until he ordered Zadok the priest to return it to Jerusalem. In Solomon 's Temple The Ark carried into the Temple from the early 15th century Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry When Abiathar was dismissed from the priesthood by King Solomon for having taken part in Adonijah 's conspiracy against David, his life was spared because he had formerly borne the Ark. Solomon worshipped before the Ark after his dream in which God promised him wisdom. During the construction of Solomon 's Temple, a special inner room, named Kodesh Hakodashim ( Eng. Holy of Holies ), was prepared to receive and house the Ark ; and when the Temple was dedicated, the Ark -- containing the original tablets of the Ten Commandments -- was placed therein. When the priests emerged from the holy place after placing the Ark there, the Temple was filled with a cloud, `` for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord ''. When Solomon married Pharaoh 's daughter, he caused her to dwell in a house outside Zion, as Zion was consecrated because of its containing the Ark. King Josiah also had the Ark returned to the Temple, from which it appears to have been removed by one of his predecessors ( cf. 2 Chron. 33 - 34 and 2 Kings 21 - 23 ). The Babylonian conquest and aftermath In 587 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon 's Temple. There is no record of what became of the Ark in the Books of Kings and Chronicles. An ancient Greek version of the biblical third Book of Ezra, 1 Esdras, suggests that Babylonians took away the vessels of the ark of God, but does not mention taking away the Ark : And they took all the holy vessels of the Lord, both great and small, with the vessels of the ark of God, and the king 's treasures, and carried them away into Babylon In Rabbinic literature, the final disposition of the Ark is disputed. Some rabbis hold that it must have been carried off to Babylon, while others hold that it must have been hidden lest it be carried off into Babylon and never brought back. A late 2nd - century rabbinic work known as the Tosefta states the opinions of these rabbis that Josiah, the king of Judah, stored away the Ark, along with the jar of manna, and a jar containing the holy anointing oil, the rod of Aaron which budded and a chest given to Israel by the Philistines. This was said to have been done in order to prevent their being carried off into Babylon as had already happened to the other vessels. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon, in the same rabbinic work, state that the Ark was, in fact, taken into Babylon. Rabbi Yehudah, dissenting, says that the Ark was stored away in its own place, meaning, somewhere on the Temple Mount. References in scripture Tanakh The Ark is first mentioned in the Book of Exodus, and then numerous times in Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, I Chronicles, II Chronicles, Psalms and Jeremiah. In the Book of Jeremiah, it is referenced by Jeremiah, who, speaking in the days of Josiah, prophesied a future time, possibly the end of days, when the Ark will no longer be talked about or be made again : And it shall be that when you multiply and become fruitful in the land, in those days - the word of the LORD - they will no longer say, ' The Ark of the Covenant of the LORD ' and it will not come to mind ; they will not mention it, and will not recall it, and it will not be used any more. Rashi comments on this verse that `` The entire people will be so imbued with the spirit of sanctity that God 's Presence will rest upon them collectively, as if the congregation itself was the Ark of the Covenant. '' Second Book of Maccabees See also : 2 Maccabees According to Second Maccabees, at the beginning of chapter 2 : The records show that it was the prophet Jeremiah who... prompted by a divine message... gave orders that the Tent of Meeting and the ark should go with him. Then he went away to the mountain from the top of which Moses saw God 's promised land. When he reached the mountain, Jeremiah found a cave - dwelling ; he carried the tent, the ark, and the incense - altar into it, then blocked up the entrance. Some of his companions came to mark out the way, but were unable to find it. When Jeremiah learnt of this he reprimanded them. `` The place shall remain unknown '', he said, `` until God finally gathers his people together and shows mercy to them. The Lord will bring these things to light again, and the glory of the Lord will appear with the cloud, as it was seen both in the time of Moses and when Solomon prayed that the shrine might be worthily consecrated. '' The `` mountain from the top of which Moses saw God 's promised land '' would be Mount Nebo, located in what is now Jordan. New Testament Carrying the Ark of the Covenant : gilded bas - relief at Auch Cathedral In the New Testament, the Ark is mentioned in the Letter to the Hebrews and the Revelation to St. John. 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. '' Revelation 11 : 19 says the prophet saw God 's temple in heaven opened, `` and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. '' Catholic scholars connect this verse with the Woman of the Apocalypse in Revelation 12 : 1, which immediately follows, and say that the Blessed Virgin Mary is identified as the `` Ark of the New Covenant. '' Carrying the saviour of mankind within her, she herself became the Holy of Holies. This is the interpretation given in the third century by Gregory Thaumaturgus, and in the fourth century by Saint Ambrose, Saint Ephraem of Syria and Saint Augustine. The Catholic Church teaches this in the Catechism of the Catholic Church : `` Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the Ark of the Covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. She is ' the dwelling of God... with men '' In the Gospel of Luke, the author 's accounts of the Annunciation and Visitation are constructed using eight points of literary parallelism to compare Mary to the Ark. Saint Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, is credited with writing about the connections between the Ark and the Virgin Mary : `` O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word ? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin ? You are greater than them all O ( Ark of the ) Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold ! You are the Ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which Divinity resides '' ( Homily of the Papyrus of Turin ). The Ark in Islamic sources Chapter 2 ( Sura 2 ) of the Quran ( Verse 248 ), is believed to refer to the Ark : And their prophet said to them, `` Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest ( tābūt ) will come to you in which is assurance ( sakīnatun ) from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses ( Mūsā ) and the family of Aaron ( Hārūn ) had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers. '' The Arabic word sakīna ( variously translated `` peace of reassurance '' or `` spirit of tranquility '' ) is related to the post-Biblical Hebrew shekhinah, meaning `` dwelling or presence of God ''. The Islamic scholar Al Baidawi mentioned that the sakina could be Tawrat, the Books of Moses. According to Al - Jalalan, the relics in the Ark were the fragments of the two tablets, rods, robes, shoes, mitres of Moses and the vase of manna. Al - Tha'alibi, in Qisas Al - Anbiya ( The Stories of the Prophets ), has given an earlier and later history of the Ark. According to Uri Rubin the Ark of the Covenant has a religious basis in Islam, and Islam gives it special significance. Possible locations Since its disappearance from the Biblical narrative, there has been a number of claims of having discovered or of having possession of the Ark, and several possible places have been suggested for its location. Mount Nebo 2 Maccabees 2 : 4 - 10, written around 100 BC, says that the prophet Jeremiah, `` being warned by God '' before the Babylonian invasion, took the Ark, the Tabernacle, and the Altar of Incense, and buried them in a cave on Mount Nebo, informing those of his followers who wished to find the place that it should remain unknown `` until the time that God should gather His people again together, and receive them unto mercy. '' Mount Nebo is also described in the Bible ( Deuteronomy 34 ) as the site from which Moses views the Promised Land, and apparently also is his final burial place. Mount Nebo is approximately 47 km ( 29 miles ) slightly south of due east from Jerusalem, near the east bank of the Jordan River. Ethiopia The Chapel of the Tablet at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum allegedly houses the original Ark of the Covenant. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church claims to possess the Ark of the Covenant, or Tabot, in Axum. The object is currently kept under guard in a treasury near the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. Replicas of the Axum tabot are kept in every Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church, each with its own dedication to a particular saint ; the most popular of these include Mary, George and Michael. The Kebra Nagast was composed to legitimise the Solomonic dynasty, which ruled the Ethiopian Empire following its establishment in 1270. It narrates how the real Ark of the Covenant was brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I with divine assistance, while a forgery was left in the Temple in Jerusalem. Although the Kebra Nagast is the best - known account of this belief, it predates the document. Abu al - Makarim, writing in the last quarter of the twelfth century, makes one early reference to this belief that they possessed the Ark. `` The Abyssinians possess also the Ark of the Covenant '', he wrote, and, after a description of the object, describes how the liturgy is celebrated upon the Ark four times a year, `` on the feast of the great nativity, on the feast of the glorious Baptism, on the feast of the holy Resurrection, and on the feast of the illuminating Cross. '' In his 1992 book The Sign and the Seal, British writer Graham Hancock suggests, contrary to the Kebra Nagast, that the ark spent several years in Egypt before it came to Ethiopia via the Nile River, where it was kept in the islands of Lake Tana for about four hundred years and finally taken to Axum. Archaeologist John Holladay of the University of Toronto called Hancock 's theory `` garbage and hogwash, '' while Edward Ullendorff, a former Professor of Ethiopian Studies at the University of London, said he `` wasted a lot of time reading it. '' On 25 June 2009, the patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia, Abune Paulos, said he would announce to the world the next day the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant, which he said had been kept safe and secure in a church in Axum, Ethiopia. The following day, on 26 June 2009, the patriarch announced that he would not unveil the Ark after all, but that instead he could attest to its current status. Southern Africa The Lemba people of South Africa and Zimbabwe have claimed that their ancestors carried the Ark south, calling it the ngoma lungundu or `` voice of God '', eventually hiding it in a deep cave in the Dumghe mountains, their spiritual home. On 14 April 2008, in a UK Channel 4 documentary, Tudor Parfitt, taking a literalist approach to the Biblical story, described his research into this claim. He says that the object described by the Lemba has attributes similar to the Ark. It was of similar size, was carried on poles by priests, was not allowed to touch the ground, was revered as a voice of their God, and was used as a weapon of great power, sweeping enemies aside. In his book The Lost Ark of the Covenant ( 2008 ), Parfitt also suggests that the Ark was taken to Arabia following the events depicted in the Second Book of Maccabees, and cites Arabic sources which maintain it was brought in distant times to Yemen. One Lemba clan, the Buba, which was supposed to have brought the Ark to Africa, have a genetic signature called the Cohen Modal Haplotype. This suggests a male Semitic link to the Levant. Lemba tradition maintains that the Ark spent some time in Sena in Yemen. Later, it was taken across the sea to East Africa and may have been taken inland at the time of the Great Zimbabwe civilization. According to their oral traditions, some time after the arrival of the Lemba with the Ark, it self - destructed. Using a core from the original, the Lemba priests constructed a new one. This replica was discovered in a cave by a Swedish German missionary named Harald von Sicard in the 1940s and eventually found its way to the Museum of Human Science in Harare. Parfitt had this artifact radio - carbon dated to about 1350, which coincided with the sudden end of the Great Zimbabwe civilization. Europe Chartres Cathedral, France French author Louis Charpentier claimed that the Ark was taken to the Chartres Cathedral by the Knights Templar. Rennes - le - Château, then to the United states One author has theorised that the Ark was taken from Jerusalem to the village of Rennes - le - Château in Southern France. Karen Ralls has cited Freemason Patrick Byrne, who believes the Ark was moved from Rennes - le - Château at the outbreak of World War I to the United States. Rome The Ark of the Covenant was said to have been kept in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, surviving the pillages of Rome by Genseric and Alaric I but lost when the basilica burned. `` Rabbi Eliezer ben José stated that he saw in Rome the mercy - seat of the temple. There was a bloodstain on it. On inquiry he was told that it was a stain from the blood which the high priest sprinkled thereon on the Day of Atonement. '' United Kingdom In 2003, author Graham Phillips hypothetically concluded that the Ark was taken to Mount Sinai in the Valley of Edom by the Maccabees. Phillips claims it remained there until the 1180s, when Ralph de Sudeley, the leader of the Templars found the Maccabean treasure at Jebel al - Madhbah, and returned home to his estate at Herdewyke in Warwickshire, England taking the treasure with him. Ireland During the turn of the 20th century British Israelites carried out some excavations of the Hill of Tara in Ireland looking for the Ark of the Covenant -- the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland campaigned successfully to have them stopped before they destroyed the hill. Egypt Tutankhamun 's tomb Main article : Exhibitions of artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun 1922 photograph of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Photograph by Harry Burton ( 1879 - 1940 ) In 1922 in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, the royal tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun ( KV62 ) was opened by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. Among the artifacts was a processional ark, listed as Shrine 261, the Anubis Shrine. Almost immediately after publication of the photographs of this sensational archaeological find, some claimed that the Anubis Shrine could be the Ark of the Covenant. John M. Lundquist, author of The Temple of Jerusalem : Past, Present, and Future ( 2008 ), discounts this idea. The Anubis Shrine measures 95 centimetres ( 37 in ) long, 37 centimetres ( 15 in ) wide, and 54.3 centimetres ( 21.4 in ) high in the shape of a pylon. The Biblical Ark of the Covenant is approximately 133 centimetres ( 52 in ) long, 80 centimetres ( 31 in ) wide, and 80 centimetres ( 31 in ) high in the shape of a rectangular chest. Lundquist observes that the Anubis Shrine is not strictly analogous to the Ark of the Covenant ; it can only be said that it is `` ark - like '', constructed of wood, gessoed and gilded, stored within a sacred tomb, `` guarding '' the treasury of the tomb ( and not the primary focus of that environment ), that it contains compartments within it that store and hold sacred objects, that it has a figure of Anubis on its lid, and that it was carried by two staves permanently inserted into rings at its base and borne by eight priests in the funerary procession to Tutankhamun 's tomb. Its value is the insight it provides to the ancient culture of Egypt. In popular culture The Ark of the Covenant is the main plot device in Steven Spielberg 's 1981 adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark, which depicts it as located by Indiana Jones in the Egyptian city of Tanis in 1936. It is mentioned briefly in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ( 1989 ) and appears in a cameo in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ( 2008 ). In the Danish family film The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar from 2006, the main part of the treasure found in the end is the Ark of the Covenant. The power of the Ark comes from static electricity stored in separated metal plates like a giant Leyden jar. It appears in the video game Assassin 's Creed ( 2007 ), where Robert de Sablé found a `` Piece of the Eden '' and Altaïr Ibn - La'Ahad planned to stop him, but he could n't. It 's also mentioned in Assassin 's Creed Chronicles : China ( 2015 ) and in the film Assassin 's Creed ( 2016 ). Yom HaAliyah Yom HaAliyah ( Aliyah Day ) ( Hebrew : יום העלייה ‎ ) is an Israeli national holiday celebrated annually on the tenth of the Hebrew month of Nisan to commemorate the Israelites crossing the Jordan River into the Land of Israel while carrying the Ark of the Covenant. See also List of artifacts in biblical archaeology The Exodus Decoded ( television documentary ) Foucault 's Pendulum History of ancient Israel and Judah Jewish symbolism Lost history Mikoshi References Jump up ^ Ackerman, Susan ( 2000 ). `` Ark of the Covenant ''. In Freedman, David Noel ; Myers, Allen C. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans. p. 102. Jump up ^ Numbers 4 : 5 - 6 Jump up ^ Exodus 25 : 22 Jump up ^ Exodus 19 : 20 Jump up ^ Exodus 24 : 18 Jump up ^ Exodus 31 Jump up ^ Joseph Ponessa, Laurie Watson Manhardt, Moses and The Torah : Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, pages 85 - 86 ( Emmaus Road Publishing, 2007 ). ISBN 978 - 1 - 931018 - 45 - 6 Jump up ^ `` Deu 10 : 1 - 5 NIV - Tablets Like the First Ones - At that - Bible Gateway ''. Bible Gateway. Jump up ^ `` '' Four feet `` ; see Exodus 25 : 12, majority of translations. `` Four corners '' in KJV ``. Biblestudytools.com. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 17. Jump up ^ Joshua 3 : 3 Jump up ^ Joshua 6 Jump up ^ Josh 3 : 15 - 17 Jump up ^ Josh 4 : 10 Jump up ^ Josh 11 Jump up ^ Josh 18 Jump up ^ Josh 4 : 1 - 9 Jump up ^ Josh 6 : 4 - 15 Jump up ^ Josh 6 : 16 - 20 Jump up ^ Josh 7 : 6 - 9 Jump up ^ Judges 20 : 6f Jump up ^ 1 Samuel 3 : 3 Jump up ^ 1 Samuel 4 : 3f Jump up ^ 1 Sam 4 : 3 - 11 Jump up ^ 1 Sam 4 : 12 - 22 Jump up ^ 1 Sam 4 : 20 Jump up ^ 1 Sam 5 : 1 - 6 Jump up ^ 1 Sam 6 : 5 Jump up ^ 1 Sam 5 : 8 - 12 Jump up ^ 1 Sam 6 : 1 - 15 Jump up ^ 1 Samuel 6 : 19 Jump up ^ 1 Samuel 6 : 21 Jump up ^ 1 Chronicles 13 : 3 Jump up ^ 2 Samuel 6 : 8 Jump up ^ 2 Samuel 6 : 1 - 11 Jump up ^ 1 Chronicles 13 : 1 - 13 Jump up ^ 2 Sam 6 : 12 - 16 Jump up ^ 2 Sam 6 : 20 - 22 Jump up ^ 1 Chron 15 Jump up ^ 2 Sam 6 : 17 - 20 Jump up ^ 1 Chron 16 : 1 - 3 Jump up ^ 2 Chron 1 : 4 Jump up ^ 1 Chron 16 : 4 Jump up ^ 2 Sam 7 : 1 - 17 Jump up ^ 1 Chron 17 : 1 - 15 Jump up ^ 1 Chron 28 : 2 Jump up ^ 1 Chron 3 Jump up ^ 2 Sam 11 : 11 Jump up ^ 2 Sam 15 : 24 - 29 Jump up ^ 1 Kings 2 : 26 Jump up ^ 1 Kings 3 : 15 Jump up ^ 1 Kings 6 : 19 Jump up ^ 1 Kings 8 : 6 - 9 Jump up ^ 1 Kings 8 : 10 - 11 Jump up ^ 2 Chron 5 : 13 Jump up ^ 2 Chron 14 Jump up ^ 2 Chron 8 : 11 Jump up ^ 2 Chron 35 : 3 Jump up ^ 1 Esdras 1 : 54 Jump up ^ `` Ark of the Covenant ''. Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved 1 May 2012. Jump up ^ Tosefta ( Sotah 13 : 1 ) ; cf. Babylonian Talmud ( Kereithot 5b ) Jump up ^ Jer 3 : 16 Jump up ^ Jeremiah 3 : 16, Tanach. Brooklyn, New York : ArtScroll. p. 1078. Jump up ^ 2 Maccabees 2 : 4 - 8 ^ Jump up to : Ray, Steve ( October 2005 ). `` Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant ''. This Rock. 16 ( 8 ). Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011. Jump up ^ David Michael Lindsey, The Woman and The Dragon : Apparitions of Mary, page 21 ( Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., 2000 ) ISBN 1 - 56554 - 731 - 4 Jump up ^ Dwight Longenecker, David Gustafson, Mary : A Catholic Evangelical Debate, page 32 ( Gracewing, 2003 ). ISBN 0 - 85244 - 582 - 2 Jump up ^ `` CCC, 2676 ''. Vatican.va. Retrieved 17 January 2016. Jump up ^ https://stpaulcenter.com/studies/lesson/lesson-three-the-ark-of-the-new-covenant Jump up ^ Translation ( 1 ) Sahih International. Jump up ^ `` Quran Surah Al - Baqara ( Verse 248 ) ''. Irebd.com. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 28. ^ Jump up to : Hughes, Patrick ; Hughes, Thomas Patrick ( 1995 ) ( 1885 ). A Dictionary of Islam. New Delhi : Asian Educational Services. p. 624. ISBN 9788120606722. Retrieved April 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Rubin, Uri ( 2001 ). `` Traditions in Transformation : The Ark of the Covenant and the Golden Calf in Biblical and Islamic Historiography '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 11 - 17. Jump up ^ Cf. Deuteronomy 34 : 1 - 3 and 2 Maccabees 2 : 4 - 8. Jump up ^ Stuart Munro - Hay, 2005, The Quest for the Ark of the Covenant, Tauris ( reviewed in Times Literary Supplement 19 August 2005 p. 36 ) Jump up ^ B.T.A. Evetts ( translator ), The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt and Some Neighboring Countries attributed to Abu Salih, the Armenian, with added notes by Alfred J. Butler ( Oxford, 1895 ), pp. 287f Jump up ^ Hancock, Graham ( 1992 ). The Sign and the Seal : The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant. New York : Crown. ISBN 0517578131. Jump up ^ Hiltzik, Michael H. ( June 9, 1992 ). `` Does Trail to Ark of Covenant End Behind Aksum Curtain ? A British author believes the long - lost religious object may actually be inside a stone chapel in Ethiopia ''. Los Angeles Times. p. 1. Jump up ^ Fendel, Hillel ( 2009 - 06 - 25 ). `` Holy Ark Announcement Due on Friday '', Aruta Sheva ( Israel International News ). Retrieved on 2009 - 06 - 25 Jump up ^ IGN ( 2009 - 06 - 19 ). Ho visto l'Arca dell'Alleanza ed è in buone condizioni. Retrieved on 2009 - 06 - 26 Jump up ^ The Lost Ark of the Covenant by Tudor Parfitt, published by HarperCollins 2008. ^ Jump up to : A Lead on the Ark of the Covenant, by David Van Biema Thursday, Time.com, Feb. 21, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Debates & Controversies - Quest for the Lost Ark ''. Channel4.com. 2008 - 04 - 14. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 07. Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Jump up ^ Brian Haughton, Haunted Spaces, Sacred Places : A Field Guide to Stone Circles, Crop Circles, Ancient Tombs, and Supernatural Landscapes, page 142 ( Career Press, Inc., 2008 ). ISBN 978 - 1 - 60163 - 000 - 1 Jump up ^ Louis Charpentier, Les Mystères de la Cathédrale de Chartres ( Paris : Robert Laffont, 1966 ), translated as The Mysteries of Chartres Cathedral ( London : Research Into Lost Knowledge Organisation, 1972 ). Jump up ^ Karen Ralls, The Templars and The Grail : Knights of The Quest, page 99, pages 163 - 164 ( Quest Books, Theosophical Publishing House, 2003 ). ISBN 0 - 8356 - 0807 - 7. Citing Patrick Byrne, Templar Gold : Discovering the Ark of the Covenant ( Blue Dolphin Publishing, Inc., 2001 ). ISBN 1 - 57733 - 099 - 4 Jump up ^ J. Salmon, A Description of The Works of Art of Ancient and Modern Rome, Particularly In Architecture, Sculpture & Painting, Volume One, page 108 ( London : J. Sammells, 1798 ). Jump up ^ Debra J. Birch, Pilgrimage To Rome In The Middle Ages : Continuity and Change, page 111 ( The Boydell Press, 1998 ). ISBN 0 - 85115 - 771 - 8 Jump up ^ Midrash Tanḥuma. p. 33. Retrieved 4 June 2017. Jump up ^ Phillips, G., The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant, accessed 25 December 2017 Jump up ^ Ivan McAvinchey. `` News 2006 ( March 9 ) ''. Rsai.ie. Archived from the original on 2009 - 03 - 08. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 07. Jump up ^ Photographs by Harry Burton, The Griffith Institute, Tutankhamun : Anatomy of an Excavation : The Howard Carter Archives. Jump up ^ Lundquist, John M. The Temple of Jerusalem : past, present, and future, Chapter 2 `` The World of the First Temple '', pp. 66 - 67, © 2008 by John M. Lundquist, first published 2008, Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 ISBN 978 - 0 - 275 - 98339 - 0 www.praeger.com. Jump up ^ `` Philip Kaufman ''. google.com. Jump up ^ `` Tempelriddernes Skat - Filmens Handling ''. filmcentralen.dk. 2013. Retrieved 2014 - 07 - 11. Jump up ^ `` The Ark of the Covenant - Gameplay ''. IGN. Retrieved January 10, 2018. Jump up ^ Carter, Justin ( October 19, 2015 ). `` Here 's the Entire Assassin 's Creed Story So Far ''. Twinfinite. Retrieved January 10, 2018. Jump up ^ VanOrd, Kevin ( April 20, 2015 ). `` Assassin 's Creed Chronicles : China ''. GameSpot. Retrieved January 10, 2018. Jump up ^ Maher, Kevin ( December 30, 2016 ). `` Assassin 's Creed ''. The Times. Retrieved January 10, 2018. Further reading Carew, Mairead, Tara and the Ark of the Covenant : A Search for the Ark of the Covenant by British Israelites on the Hill of Tara, 1899 - 1902. Royal Irish Academy, 2003. ISBN 0 - 9543855 - 2 - 7 Cline, Eric H. ( 2007 ), From Eden to Exile : Unravelling Mysteries of the Bible, National Geographic Society, ISBN 978 - 1 - 4262 - 0084 - 7 Fisher, Milton C., The Ark of the Covenant : Alive and Well in Ethiopia ?. Bible and Spade 8 / 3, pp. 65 -- 72, 1995. Foster, Charles, Tracking the Ark of the Covenant. Monarch, 2007. Grierson, Roderick & Munro - Hay, Stuart, The Ark of the Covenant. Orion Books Ltd, 2000. ISBN 0 - 7538 - 1010 - 7 Hancock, Graham, The Sign and the Seal : The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant. Touchstone Books, 1993. ISBN 0 - 671 - 86541 - 2 Haran, M., The Disappearance of the Ark, IEJ 13 ( 1963 ), 46 - 58 Hertz, J.H., The Pentateuch and Haftoras. Deuteronomy. Oxford University Press, 1936. Hubbard, David ( 1956 ) The Literary Sources of the Kebra Nagast Ph. D. dissertation, St. Andrews University, Scotland Munro - Hay, Stuart, The Quest For The Ark of The Covenant : The True History of The Tablets of Moses. L.B. Tauris & Co Ltd., 2006. ISBN 1 - 84511 - 248 - 2 Ritmeyer, L., The Ark of the Covenant : Where It Stood in Solomon 's Temple. Biblical Archaeology Review 22 / 1 : 46 - 55, 70 - 73, 1996. Stolz, Fritz. `` Ark of the Covenant. '' In The Encyclopedia of Christianity, edited by Erwin Fahlbusch and Geoffrey William Bromiley, 125. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids : Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999. ISBN 0802824137 External links This section 's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia 's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. ( February 2016 ) Wikibooks has more on the topic of : Ark of the Covenant Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ark of the Covenant. Wikiquote has quotations related to : Ark of the Covenant Library resources about Ark of the Covenant Online books Resources in your library Resources in other libraries Portions of this article have been taken from the Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906. Ark of the Covenant Initial text from Easton 's Bible Dictionary, 1897. Ark of the Covenant The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Ark of the Covenant Smithsonian.com `` Keepers of the Lost Ark ? '' Derby, Josiah, `` The Gold of The Ark '', Jewish Bible Quarterly. Havergal, William Henry. Six Lectures on The Ark of The Covenant ( London : Hamilton, Adams And Co, 1867 ). Available on Google Books. ( 3 ) Pendleton, Philip Y., A Brief Sketch of the Jewish Tabernacle. 1901. ( International Sunday - school Lessons for 1902. Standard Eclectic Commentary comprising original and selected notes, explanatory, illustrative, practical. Embellished with maps, diagrams, chronological charts, tables, etc. ) Schatz, Elihu, `` The Weight of The Ark of The Covenant '', Jewish Bible Quarterly. Shyovitz, David, The Lost Ark of the Covenant. Jewish Virtual Library. Ark of the Covenant topics People Moses Kohanim High Priest of Israel Israelites Levites Bezalel Tribe of Judah Oholiab Kehath Tribe of Levi Jeremiah Joshua Samuel Solomon Menelik I Contents Tablets of Stone Ten Commandments Manna Aaron 's rod Cherub Locations Mount Sinai Jericho Jordan River Holy of Holies Tabernacle Ai Shiloh Gibeah Gilgal Eben - Ezer Philistia Beth Shemesh Kiriath - Jearim Temple Mount Dome of the Rock Well of Souls Cathedral of Chartres Tana Qirqos Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion Related The Sign and the Seal ( 1992 book ) People and things in the Quran hide Characters Non-humans Allāh ( `` The God '' ) Names of Allah found in the Quran, such as Karīm ( Generous ) Beings in Paradise Ghilmān or Wildān Ḥūr Animals Related The baqarah ( cow ) of Israelites The dhi'b ( wolf ) that Jacob feared could attack Joseph The fīl ( elephant ) of the Abyssinians ) Ḥimār ( Domesticated donkey ) The hud - hud ( hoopoe ) of Solomon The kalb ( dog ) of the sleepers of the cave The nūn ( fish or whale ) of Jonah The nāqat ( she - camel ) of Saleh Non-related Ḥimār ( Wild ass ) Qaswarah ( `` Lion '', `` beast of prey '' or `` hunter '' ) Angels Angels of Hell Mālik Zabāniyah Angel of the Trumpet ( Isrāfīl or Raphael ) Jibrīl ( Gabriel ) Mīkāl ( Michael ) ' Izrā'īl Malakul - Mawt ( Azrael, Angel of Death ) Riḍwān Munkar Nakir Harut and Marut Kirāman Kātibīn ( Honourable Scribes ) Raqib Atid Jinn ' Ifrīt ( `` Strong one '' ) Jann Mārid ( `` Rebellious one '' ) Iblīs the Shayṭān ( Devil ) Other Shayāṭīn ( Demons ) Qarīn Prophets Mentioned Ādam ( Adam ) Al - Yasa ' ( Elisha ) Ayyūb ( Job ) Dāwūd ( David ) Dhūl - Kifl ( Ezekiel ? ) Hārūn ( Aaron ) Hūd ( Eber ? ) Idrīs ( Enoch ? ) Ilyās ( Elijah ) ' Imrān ( Joachim the father of Maryam ) Isḥāq ( Isaac ) Ismā'īl ( Ishmael ) Dhabih Ullah Isma'il Ṣādiq al - Wa 'd ( Fulfiller of the Promise ) Lūṭ ( Lot ) Ṣāliḥ Shu'ayb ( Jethro, Reuel or Hobab ? ) Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd ( Solomon son of David ) ' Uzair ( Ezra ? ) Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā ( John the Baptist the son of Zechariah ) Ya'qūb ( Jacob ) Isrā'īl ( Israel ) Yūnus ( Jonah ) Dhūn - Nūn ( `` He of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' or `` Owner of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' ) Ṣāḥib al - Ḥūt ( `` Companion of the Whale '' ) Yūsuf ibn Ya'qūb ( Joseph son of Jacob ) Zakariyyā ( Zechariah ) Ulu - l - ' Azm Muḥammad Aḥmad Other names and titles of Muhammad ʿĪsā ( Jesus ) Al - Masīḥ ( The Messiah ) Ibn Maryam ( Son of Mary ) Mūsā Kalīmullāh ( Moses He who spoke to God ) Ibrāhīm Khalīlullāh ( Abraham Friend of God ) Nūḥ ( Noah ) Debatable ones Dhūl - Qarnain ( Cyrus the Great ? ) Luqmān Maryam ( Mary ) Ṭālūt ( Saul or Gideon ? ) Implied Irmiyā ( Jeremiah ) Ṣamū'īl ( Samuel ) Yūsha ' ibn Nūn ( Joshua, companion and successor of Moses ) People of Prophets Evil ones Āzar ( possibly Terah ) Fir'awn ( Pharaoh of Moses ' time ) Hāmān Jālūt ( Goliath ) Qārūn ( Korah, cousin of Moses ) As - Sāmirī Abī Lahab Slayers of Saleh 's she - camel ( Qaddar ibn Salif and Musda ' ibn Dahr ) Good ones Adam 's immediate relatives Martyred son Wife Believer of Ya - Sin Family of Noah Father Lamech Mother Shamkhah bint Anush or Betenos Luqman 's son People of Aaron and Moses Believer of Fir'aun Family ( Hizbil / Hizqil ibn Sabura ) Imra'at Fir'awn ( Āsiyá bint Muzāḥim or Bithiah ) Khidr Magicians of the Pharaoh Moses ' wife Moses ' sister - in - law Mother Sister People of Abraham Mother Abiona or Amtelai the daughter of Karnebo Ishmael 's mother Isaac 's mother People of Jesus Disciples ( including Peter ) Mary 's mother Zechariah 's wife People of Joseph Brothers ( including Binyāmin ( Benjamin ) and Simeon ) Egyptians ' Azīz ( Potiphar, Qatafir or Qittin ) Malik ( King Ar - Rayyān ibn Al - Walīd ) ) Wife of ' Azīz ( Zulaykhah ) Mother People of Solomon Mother Queen of Sheba Vizier Zayd Implied or not specified Abrahah Bal'am / Balaam Barsisa Caleb or Kaleb the companion of Joshua Luqman 's son Nebuchadnezzar II Nimrod Rahmah the wife of Ayyub Shaddad Groups Mentioned Aṣḥāb al - Jannah People of Paradise People of the Burnt Garden Aṣḥāb as - Sabt ( Companions of the Sabbath ) Christian apostles Ḥawāriyyūn ( Disciples of Jesus ) Companions of Noah 's Ark Aṣḥāb al - Kahf war - Raqīm ( Companions of the Cave and Al - Raqaim ? Companions of the Elephant People of al - Ukhdūd People of a township in Surah Ya - Sin People of Yathrib or Medina Qawm Lūṭ ( People of Sodom and Gomorrah ) Nation of Noah Tribes, ethnicities or families A'rāb ( Arabs or Bedouins ) ʿĀd ( people of Hud ) Companions of the Rass Qawm Tubba ' ( People of Tubba ) People of Saba ' or Sheba Quraysh Thamūd ( people of Saleh ) Aṣḥāb al - Ḥijr ( `` Companions of the Stoneland '' ) ' Ajam Ar - Rūm ( literally `` The Romans '' ) Banī Isrā'īl ( Children of Israel ) Mu'tafikāt ( The overthrown cities of Sodom and Gomorrah ) People of Ibrahim People of Ilyas People of Nuh People of Shuaib Ahl Madyan People of Madyan ) Aṣḥāb al - Aykah ( `` Companions of the Wood '' ) Qawm Yūnus ( People of Jonah ) Ya'juj and Ma'juj / Gog and Magog Ahl al - Bayt ( `` People of the Household '' ) Household of Abraham Brothers of Yūsuf Daughters of Abraham 's nephew Lot ( Ritha, Za'ura, et al. ) Progeny of Imran Household of Moses Household of Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul - Muttalib ibn Hashim Daughters of Muhammad Wives of Muhammad Household of Salih People of Fir'aun Current Ummah of Islam ( Ummah of Muhammad ) Aṣḥāb Muḥammad ( Companions of Muhammad ) Muhajirun ( Emigrants ) Anṣār Muslims of Medina who helped Muhammad and his Meccan followers, literally ' Helpers ' ) People of Mecca Umm Jamil ( wife of Abu Lahab ) Children of Ayyub Dead son of Sulaiman Qabil / Cain ( son of Adam ) Wali'ah or Wa'ilah / Waala ( wife of Nuh ) Walihah or Wahilah ( wife of Lut ) Ya'jūj wa Ma'jūj ( Gog and Magog ) Yam or Kan'an ( son of Nuh ) Implicitly mentioned Amalek Ahl as - Suffa ( People of the Verandah ) Banu Nadir Banu Qaynuqa Banu Qurayza Iranian people Umayyad Dynasty Aus & Khazraj People of Quba Religious groups Ahl al - dhimmah ( Dhimmi ) Kāfirūn ( Infidels ) Zoroastrians Munāfiq ūn ( Hypocrites ) Muslims People of the Book ( Ahl al - Kitāb ) Naṣārā ( Christian ( s ) or People of the Injil ) Ruhban ( Christian monks ) Qissis ( Christian priest ) Yahūd ( Jews ) Ahbār ( Jewish scholars ) Rabbani / Rabbi Sabians Polytheists Meccan polytheists at the time of Muhammad Mesopotamian polytheists at the time of Abraham and Lot Locations Mentioned Al - Arḍ Al - Muqaddasah ( `` The Holy Land '' ) ' Blessed ' Land In the Arabian Peninsula ( excluding Madyan ) Al - Aḥqāf ( `` The Sandy Plains, '' or `` the Wind - curved Sand - hills '' ) Iram dhāt al - ' Imād ( Iram of the Pillars ) Al - Madīnah ( formerly Yathrib ) ' Arafāt Al - Ḥijr ( Hegra ) Badr Ḥunayn Makkah ( Mecca ) Bakkah Ḥaraman Āminan ( `` Sanctuary ( which is ) Secure '' ) Ka'bah ( Kaaba ) Maqām Ibrāhīm ( Station of Abraham ) Safa and Marwah Saba ' ( Sheba ) ' Arim Saba ' ( Dam of Sheba ) Rass Al - Jannah ( Paradise, literally `` The Garden '' ) Jahannam ( Hell ) In Mesopotamia : Al - Jūdiyy Munzalanm - Mubārakan ( `` Place - of - Landing Blessed '' ) Bābil ( Babylon ) Qaryat Yūnus ( `` Township of Jonah, '' that is Nineveh ) Door of Hittah Madyan ( Midian ) Majma ' al - Baḥrayn Miṣr ( Mainland Egypt ) Salsabīl ( A river in Paradise ) Sinai Region or Tīh Desert Al - Wād Al - Muqaddas Ṭuwan ( The Holy Valley of Tuwa ) Al - Wādil - Ayman ( The valley on the ' righthand ' side of the Valley of Tuwa and Mount Sinai ) Mount Sinai or Mount Tabor Religious locations Bay'a ( Church ) Miḥrāb Monastery Masjid ( Mosque, literally `` Place of Prostration '' ) Al - Mash'ar Al - Ḥarām ( `` The Sacred Grove '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Aqṣā ( Al - Aqsa Mosque, literally `` The Farthest Place - of - Prostration '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Ḥarām ( The Sacred Mosque of Mecca ) Masjid al - Dirar A Mosque in the area of Medina, possibly : Masjid Qubā ' ( Quba Mosque ) The Prophet 's Mosque Salat ( Synagogue ) Implied Antioch Antakya Arabia Ayla Barrier of Dhul - Qarnayn Bayt al - Muqaddas & ' Ariha Bilād ar - Rāfidayn ( Mesopotamia ) Canaan Cave of Seven Sleepers Dār an - Nadwa Al - Ḥijāz ( literally `` The Barrier '' ) Black Stone ( Al - Ḥajar al - Aswad ) & Al - Hijr of Isma'il Cave of Hira & Ghar al - Thawr ( Cave of the Bull ) Ta'if Hudaybiyyah Jordan River Nile River Palestine River Paradise of Shaddad Plant matter Baṣal ( Onion ) Fūm ( Garlic or wheat ) Shaṭ ' ( Shoot ) Sūq ( Plant stem ) Zar ' ( Seed ) Fruits ' Adas ( Lentil ) Baql ( Herb ) Ḥabb dhul - ' aṣf ( Corn of the husk ) Qith - thā ' ( Cucumber ) Rummān ( Pomegranate ) Tīn ( Fig ) Ukul khamṭ ( Bitter fruit or food of Sheba ) Zaytūn ( Olive ) In Paradise Forbidden fruit of Adam Bushes, trees or plants Plants of Sheba Athl ( Tamarisk ) Sidr ( Lote - tree ) Līnah ( Tender Palm tree ) Nakhl ( Date palm ) Rayḥān ( Scented plant ) Sidrat al - Muntahā Zaqqūm Islamic holy books Al - Injīl ( The Gospel of Jesus ) Al - Qur'ān ( The Book of Muhammad ) Ṣuḥuf - i Ibrāhīm ( Scroll ( s ) of Abraham ) At - Tawrāt ( The Torah ) Ṣuḥuf - i - Mūsā ( Scroll ( s ) of Moses ) Tablets of Stone Az - Zabūr ( The Psalms of David ) Umm al - Kitāb ( `` Mother of the Book ( s ) '' ) Objects of people or beings Heavenly Food of Christian Apostles Noah 's Ark Staff of Musa Tābūt as - Sakīnah ( Casket of Shekhinah ) Throne of Bilqis Trumpet of Israfil Mentioned idols ( cult images ) ' Ansāb Idols of Israelites : Baal The ' ijl ( golden calf statue ) of Israelites Idols of Noah 's people : Nasr Suwā ' Wadd Yaghūth Ya'ūq Idols of Quraysh : Al - Lāt Al - ' Uzzá Manāt Jibt and Ṭāghūt Celestial bodies Maṣābīḥ ( literally ' lamps ' ) : Al - Qamar ( The Moon ) Kawākib ( Planets ) Al - Arḍ ( The Earth ) Nujūm ( Stars ) Ash - Shams ( The Sun ) Liquids Mā ' ( Water or fluid ) Nahr ( River ) Yamm ( River or sea ) Sharāb ( Drink ) Events, incidents, occasions or times Incident of Ifk Laylat al - Qadr Mubahalah Sayl al - ' Arim ( Flood of the Great Dam of Marib in Sheba ) The Farewell Pilgrimage Treaty of Hudaybiyyah Battles or military expeditions Battle of al - Aḥzāb ( `` the Confederates '' ) Battle of Badr Battle of Hunayn Battle of Khaybar Battle of Tabouk Battle of Uhud Conquest of Mecca Days Al - Jumu'ah ( The Friday ) As - Sabt ( The Sabbath or Saturday ) Days of battles Days of Hajj Doomsday Months of the Islamic calendar Four holy months Ramaḍān Pilgrimages Al - Ḥajj ( literally `` The Pilgrimmage '', the Greater Pilgrimage ) Al - ' Umrah ( The Lesser Pilgrimage ) Times for Prayer or Remembrance Times for Duʿāʾ ( ' Invocation ' ), Ṣalāh and Dhikr ( ' Remembrance ', including Taḥmīd ( ' Praising ' ), Takbīr and Tasbīḥ ) : Al - ' Ashiyy ( The Afternoon or the Night ) Al - Ghuduww ( `` The Mornings '' ) Al - Bukrah ( `` The Morning '' ) Aṣ - Ṣabāḥ ( `` The Morning '' ) Al - Layl ( `` The Night '' ) Al - ' Ishā ' ( `` The Late - Night '' ) Aẓ - Ẓuhr ( `` The Noon '' ) Dulūk ash - Shams ( `` Decline of the Sun '' ) Al - Masā ' ( `` The Evening '' ) Qabl al - Ghurūb ( `` Before the Setting ( of the Sun ) '' ) Al - Aṣīl ( `` The Afternoon '' ) Al - Aṣr ( `` The Afternoon '' ) Qabl ṭulū ' ash - Shams ( `` Before the rising of the Sun '' ) Al - Fajr ( `` The Dawn '' ) Implied Event of Ghadir Khumm Laylat al - Mabit The first pilgrimage Note : The names are sorted alphabetically. Standard form : Islamic name / Biblical name ( title or relationship ) Temple in Jerusalem Structures Tabernacle First Temple / Solomon 's Temple Second Temple / Ezra 's Temple / Herod 's Temple Third Temple / Ezekiel 's Temple Elements Altar Ark of the Covenant Shekhinah Holy of Holies Seven - branched candelabrum Foundation Stone Mercy seat Solomon 's Porch Temple treasury Boaz and Jachin Western Wall Warren 's Gate Western Stone Wilson 's Arch The Sanctuary Molten Sea Urn for ashes of the Red Heifer Priesthood Priestly sash Ephod Holy anointing oil Priestly breastplate Priestly tunic High Priest Sacrifice Priestly robe Priestly undergarments Priestly turban Priestly divisions Shemen Afarsimon Priestly crown Urim and Thummim Priestly covenant History Bar Kokhba revolt Siege of Jerusalem Tisha B'Av Judaea Capta coinage Temple Mount Gates Excavations Mount Zion City of David See also Replicas of the Jewish Temple Navel of the World Temple Denial Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ark_of_the_Covenant&oldid=849668907 '' Categories : Hebrew Bible objects Hebrew Bible words and phrases Tabernacle and Temples in Jerusalem Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from March 2010 Articles containing Hebrew - language text Wikipedia external links cleanup from February 2016 Wikipedia spam cleanup from February 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Беларуская Български Boarisch Bosanski Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Furlan Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Kiswahili Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Occitan Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt ייִדיש 中文 45 more Edit links This page was last edited on 10 July 2018, at 14 : 57 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is on top of the ark of the covenant
Answer: A golden lid, the kapporet (traditionally "mercy seat" in Christian translations) which is covered with 2 golden cherubim