M3 Nano-History Paper: Ark of the Covenant

Nick Eizmendi
2/1/2015

Eizmendi 1
Many people know of the Ark of the Covenant, the mythical relic of the Judeo-Christian
religion, as the MacGuffin from the Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. But what was
it really? What was the Ark of the Covenant?
According to the Bible, the Ark was to be constructed out of acacia wood. Its
dimensions had to be 3.75 x 2.25 x 2.25 feet and overlaid with gold, inside and outside. Four
golden rings, one on each corner, and through the rings were two acacia poles overlaid with gold.
The poles were to carry the Ark, and were not to be removed. On top was a mercy seat of 3.75 x
2.25 feet made of pure gold, and on top of the mercy seat were 2 cherubim one on each end, with
their wings stretched out, covering the mercy seati. It was called a mercy seat because it was
meant to represent the throne of Godii.
What were the contents of the Ark? Ehrlich suggests that that the Ark held both sets of
the Ten Commandments, and possibly a pot of manna and Aarons rod as welliii. The Ten
Commandments were two tablets inscribed by God given to Moses on Mt Sinai. The biblical
narrative states that when Moses came down from the mountain and saw how lawless the Jews
were, he threw the tablets down at them in anger, breaking them. God then provided Moses with
a second set. Aarons rod, while not from God directly, was a rod endowed by God before the
Exodus from Egyptiv and a pot of manna, food provided by God to the Jews during their desert
travelsv. Although the contents and the Ark itself (overlaid with gold) may seem heavy, that was
not the case. Schatz calculates that the actual weight of the Ark was around 183 poundsvi.
The weight of the Ark is what allowed it to be carried throughout the desert and into
every battle against Canaan, particularly the siege of Jericho. After many attempts to find a
permanent home, King David brings it to Jerusalem, where it remains in a tent until King
Solomon, where it is placed in Solomons Templevii.

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Today the whereabouts of the Ark is unknown. The prophet Jeramiah implies that it is
lost when he declares men shall no longer speak of the Ark of the Covenant, nor shall it come to
mind. They shall not mention it, or miss it, or make anotherviii. Ehrlich suggests that it was taken
by the Babylonians during their sack of the city of Jerusalemix. Some, not Ehrlich, still argue that
the Ark is too holy an artifact to be taken, and suggest that the Ark was hidden by Jeramiah
under the command of Godx.

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Works Cited
C. I. Scofield, D.D., ed. The New Scofield Study Bible. Oxford University Press, 1989. Bible.
Any discussion on biblical affairs, either Jewish or Christian (or both) needs to reference
the Bible. This is a New King James Version of the Bible. Although some may prefer the New
International Version of the Bible, I recommend this version, mainly for the diction and word
choice. As with most study bibles, this Bible provides helpful footnotes for quick reference to
other verses in different books.
Ehrlich, Theodore D. "The Disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant." Jewish Bible Quarterly
Jul-Sept 2012: 174-178. Article from a periodical from database.
The article discusses the mysteries on the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant from
the Biblical narratives. It provides a good synopsis of the Ark, as well as its travels and then its
mysterious disappearance.
Reader's Digest. ABC's of the Bible: Intriguing Questions and Answers About the Greatest Book
Ever Written. Ed. Kaari Ward. Pleasantville: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 1991.
ABCs brings the Ark into the context of the times and explains the significance of many
of the events that happened. It also briefly describes what Ehrlich goes into in his article. This
was a good source, I was able to pull many references from this book.
Schatz, Elihu A. "The Weight of the Ark of the Covenant." Jewish Bible Quarterly Apr-Jun 2007:
115-118. Article from a periodical from a database.

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Schatz responds to a previous report on the weight of the Ark, a weight impossible to be
carried around by four men, debunks it, and provides his own calculations to arrive at a new
ideal weight.
Willmington, H. L. Willmington's Guide to the Bible. 10th. Wheaton: Tydale House Publishers,
Inc., 1988. Book.
Willmingtons reads like the Bible, except it provides inline comments, facts, and
analysis. This was a good source, as I didnt have to reference multiple pages to get the entire
story; it was all inline.

i The paragraph to this point is in reference to (Ex. 25:10-21). It gives more specific on how to

construct the Ark.

ii (Reader's Digest 52)
iii (Ehrlich) and (Ex. 16:33, Num. 17:25)
iv (Reader's Digest 102-103) and (Ex. 7:8-13)
v (Willmington 68)
vi (Schatz)
vii (Reader's Digest 53) (Willmington 109)
viii (Ehrlich), but the original source is (Jer. 3:16),
ix (Ehrlich)
x (Reader's Digest 53)