The “Ark of the Testimony” (seen in Ex.25:16, Jsh.4:16, e.g.) was the most important object in God’s portable tabernacle which Moses/Israelites constructed. The Hebrew term for “ark” is aróne, Strongs h727; “testimony” is aydúth h5715. The Ark was also known as the “Ark of the Covenant” (h1285, Nu.10:33, e.g.), the “Ark of the Lord” (h3068, Jsh.3:13), and the “Ark of God” (h430, 1Sm.3:3).
Christ was the God and good Shepherd of ancient Israel. His glory dwelt above the Ark, upon the mercy seat between the cherubim (cf. Ex.25:22, Ps.80:1, Jn.10:11. see the topic “Jesus Was the Old Testament God”.) The Ark represented the Lord’s Presence and Name! 2Sm.6:2 “The ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.”
This two-part topic traces the journeys of the Ark of the Testimony/Covenant through the history of ancient Israel. Part 1 covers the time from its construction in the aftermath of Israel’s exodus from Egypt…until the capture of the Ark by the enemy Philistines circa (c) 1100 BC.
Using Rev. Martin Anstey’s The Romance of Bible Chronology, v.2, Israel’s exodus from Egypt occurred c 1612 BC and the sacred tabernacle tent & sanctuary was erected c 1611 BC.
Ex.19:1 “In the third month after the sons of Israel went out from Egypt, they came to the wilderness of Sinai.” While Moses was up on Mt Sinai for 40 days (Ex.24:18), the Lord gave him instructions for the tabernacle (mishkán h4908), its furnishings, and the Ark. (also see “God Tabernacles With Humans”.)
Ex.25:1, 10-21 “The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘They [Israelites] shall construct an ark of acacia wood. Overlay it with pure gold. You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, and two cherubim of gold at the two ends of the mercy seat, their wings spread upward. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give you.”
The dimensions of the Ark were about 45 in. wide, 27 in. deep, 27 in. high. It was a gilded rectangular chest. The Ark had rings on the sides through which two long poles were inserted to carry it from site to site. (The Lord said the descendants of Levi’s son Koháth were to carry it, Nu.4:4-6 & 7:9).
Continuing with Ex.25:22, “There I will meet with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony”. The Lord Christ would seat Himself atop the mercy seat, from where He would command Moses and Israel’s high priests of His principles & ways.
It was called the “Ark of the Testimony” because God’s own testimony of moral principles against sin, written on tablets, was placed inside. Gill Exposition Ex.25:16 “This was put into the ark…which may signify the law was in the heart of Christ.” The law reflected the character of Christ, ‘seated’ above.
Ex.31:18 “When He [the Lord] finished speaking with him [Moses], He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, inscribed with the finger of God.” These principles were the Ten Words (h1697 dabarim), called the Ten Commandments, the Decalogue.
Moses recounted in De.10:4 LXX NETS, “He wrote on the tablets the Ten Words (g3056 lógos, Greek), which the Lord spoke to you in the mountain out of the midst of the fire [Ex.20:1-18], and the Lord gave them to me”. Also cf. De.4:13 LXX, where the Greek term for “words” is g4487 rhéma. The Decalogue was both logos and rhema. In addition…a jar of manna (Ex.16:32-34), Aaron’s rod (Nu.17:10), and later God’s book of the law (De.31:26, 2Ch.34:14-15) were placed in or by the Ark.
The Ark with the mercy seat resided in the Holy of Holies room of the tabernacle (Ex.26:34). Aaron the high priest was authorized to enter that compartment only once each year, on the Day of Atonement. There he would sprinkle blood on the mercy seat of the Ark, to atone for Israel’s sins (Le.16:2, 14-17). The Ark with the mercy seat signified God’s judgment and mercy.
Ex.30:26 initially Moses was to mix holy anointing oil and “anoint the tabernacle and the ark of the testimony”. Ex.40:17-21 the Ark was brought into the completed tabernacle at Sinai 11 ½ months out of Egypt. v.34-35 the Holy Spirit glory cloud filled the tabernacle on the occasion! v.36-38 “In all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up, the sons of Israel would set out.” They weren’t to leave a site until the Shekínah glory lifted; Nu.9:21-22 “Whether it was after two days, a month, or a year.”
For much of ancient Israel’s BC history (subsequent to Egypt), the Ark and the tabernacle were together at the same site/location. But they weren’t together during all that period of time, as we’ll see.
Nu.10:11-13, 33 in the 2nd month of the 2nd year, they departed Sinai with the ark for a 3-days’ journey to the Parán Wilderness. Nu.11:3, 34-35 their first stops after Sinai were Taberáh/Kibróth-hattaváh and Hazeróth. De.1:1-3, 19 it was an 11-day march by way of Mt Seir from Horéb/Sinai to the Kadésh-barnéa spring/oasis in Paran (Ge.14:6-7 spring of judgment, Nu.12:16, 13:3, 26, 32:8). De.1:46 “They remained in Kadesh many days.” Nu.14:33-34 they won’t enter the Promised Land until the 40th year!
Nu.20:1-2, 13-14, 27:14, 33:36 in the 40th year, they camped at Meribáh Kadésh (not an oasis!) in the Wilderness of Zin. Nu.33 lists in order their 40–45 encampments made during the 40-year journey to the promised Land of Canáan. Moses died just before they entered-in (De.34:5).
Jsh.3:3-ff after 40 years, priests with the Ark went before Israel as they finally crossed the Jordan River, c 1572 BC. Jsh.4:19 “The people came up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgál on the eastern edge of Jericho.” The Ark is at Gilgal in the Promised Land. Jsh.6:1-20 in their conquest of Jericho, Israelite warriors marched behind the Ark, circling Jericho for 7 days. Jsh.14:6 Joshua’s HQ location is Gilgal.
Then Jsh.18:1, “The sons of Israel assembled at Shilóh and set up the tent of meeting there.” God’s tent of meeting/tabernacle and Ark were moved from Gilgal to Shiloh. Centuries later the Lord recounted in Je.7:12, “…My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My Name dwell at the first”. Christ ‘dwelled’ atop the Ark at Shiloh. Jsh.22:9 Israel had “gathered together at Shiloh.” (Jsh.24:1, 25 the LXX and Arabic versions have “Shiloh”.) Joshua’s HQ became Shiloh; it means ‘place of rest’.
Jg.2:6-9 Joshua died c 1547 BC. (see “Chronology – the Exodus to Samuel”.) Jg.2:1 LXX “The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal…to Bethél, to the house of Israel.” Jg.2:5 Israel sacrificed there (Bethel/‘Bochím’, where they ‘wept’). The Divine Captain of God’s host had earlier appeared to Joshua while Israel was camped at Gilgal (Jsh.5:10-15), prior to Shiloh. Shortly before Joshua’s death, the Ark and tabernacle where sacrifices were made were moved from Shiloh to nearby Bethel (the Luz of Ge.28:19, Jg.1:23). Cambridge Bible Jg.2:1 “A transference of the sanctuary [to Bethel] (Jdg 2:5b).”
{Sidelight: Jg.17–21 these ending chapters of Judges are a flashback to side events which occurred earlier in the book, but weren’t inserted then (to not interrupt the timeflow). Henry Commentary Jg.17:1 “What is related in…the rest of the chapters to the end of this book, was done soon after the death of Joshua.” Pulpit Commentary “Two detached histories [Jg.17–21], which fill up the rest of the book, are long prior to Samson [Jg.13–16].” In Jg.20:28, Aaron’s grandson Phineás the high priest is still alive (cf. Nu.25:7)! Gill Exposition Jg.17:1 and Barnes Notes connect Jg.17:1 & Jg.18:1-2 “Dan” to Jg.1:34 “Dan”. Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 5:2-3 places Jg.17–21 before Othniél’s early judgeship of Jg.3. Jg.3:8-11 the warrior Othniel judged Israel 40 years, c 1524 BC – 1484 BC. Caleb’s nephew Othniel acceded a few years after the time of the “elders who outlived Joshua” (Jg.2:7), c 1547 – 1532 BC.}
Jg.18:31 echoes the tabernacle had been at Shiloh earlier. Jg.20:18 LXX “They went to Bethel and inquired of God.” Not long after Joshua’s death, the Ark was at Bethel. Pulpit Commentary Jg.20:18 “At this time the ark of God, with the tabernacle, was at Bethel, only 7–8 miles from Shiloh.”
Jg.20:27 “The sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, for the ark of the covenant of God was there [Bethel] in those days.” Ellicott Commentary Jg.20:27 “At Bethel.” Again, Bethel was near to Shiloh. Jg.21:19 an annual pilgrim feast was held at Shiloh, “on the north side of Bethel”. Situated in the tribal territory of Ephráim, Shiloh-Bethel became the Ark & tabernacle location (after Gilgal). 350 years elapse….
Jg.16:30-31 Samson the warrior-judge died, c 1142 BC. Eli and Samuel then conclude the long period of the judges. 1Sm.1:1-3 Elkanáh (Samuel’s father) annually went to Shiloh to sacrifice to the Lord.
The Ark is again at Shiloh. Ellicott Commentary 1Sm.1:3 “Shiloh was the religious center of Israel during the whole period of the judges. On rare occasions the sacred tent, and the holy furniture, seems to have been temporarily moved to such places as Mizpáh and Bethel, but its regular home was Shiloh.” 1Sm.3:3, 21 the Ark is at Shiloh, where the Lord revealed Himself to young Samuel.
In the latter years of Eli the high priest & judge, Israel had become very backslidden. 1Sm.4:1-5 the Ark is carried into the battle of Ebenézer against the Philistines, c 1102 BC. v.17-18 the heathen Philistines sack Shiloh, and capture the Ark. Eli dies when he hears the news. v.22 “The glory is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken.”
The Ark would never return to Moses’ tabernacle!
Cambridge Bible 1Sm.1:3 “It [Shiloh] ceased to be the national sanctuary. Samuel sacrificed at Mizpeh, at Ramáh, at Gilgal, never, so far as we read, at Shiloh.” Barnes Notes Ps.78:60 “The place of worship was finally and forever removed from the tribe of Ephraim, within whose limits Shiloh was.”
The Ark had resided in the Holy of Holies innermost room (Ex.26:34) of Moses’ tabernacle for 500 years! From c 1611 BC – 1102 BC (except when it was in transport or taken into battle. cf. Nu.10:35 “Rise up, O Lord! And let Thy enemies be scattered.”)
The Ark now will reside elsewhere, apart from God’s tabernacle, for 110 years (til c 991 BC). During these 110 years, the Holy of Holies compartment of Moses’ tabernacle was entirely empty!
1Sm.5:1-7 the Philistines took the captured Ark of God from Ebenezer to their city of Ashdód, to the temple of their pagan god Dagón. But the idol of Dagon was then found fallen down before the Ark…and broken! The Lord afflicted the Ashdodites with tumors and mice (LXX). v.8-9 so the Philistines took the Ark to their city of Gath. But the Lord afflicted them there with tumors. v.10-12 so they took the Ark to Ekrón. The hand of God was heavy upon them in Ekron; many men died or were smitten with tumors. At that point the Philistines didn’t know what to do with the Ark, they cried out to heaven!
This topic is continued and concluded in “Ark of the Testimony – Journeys (2)”.
Bible Topic Exposition 