Believed to hold the original stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, the Ark of the Covenant disappeared around 586 B.C.E., and its fate remains a mystery.
Public DomainA depiction of Moses and Joshua bowing down before the Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most sacred relics of Jewish and Christian tradition. The chest is said to hold the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were originally inscribed, and religious texts claim it possesses incredible powers. So where is the Ark of the Covenant?
Described in great detail in the Christian Old Testament and the Hebrew Bible, the Ark of the Covenant makes its last appearance in 2 Chronicles 35. In this passage, King Josiah orders the Levites to “put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built.”
It was thus purportedly placed in an inner sanctuary at the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, which was constructed around 957 B.C.E. But the temple was destroyed nearly four centuries later by the Babylonians — and the Ark of the Covenant has been missing ever since then.
So where is the Ark of the Covenant? Here’s everything you need to know about the sacred object, from its vivid description in religious texts, to its possible location today, to why it may not emerge until the end times.
The Ark Of The Covenant: The Sacred Object Said To Hold The Ten Commandments
Public DomainThe Ark of the Covenant was purportedly so powerful that it was able to stop the flow of the Jordan River, allowing the ancient Israelites to successfully reach the Promised Land.
The Ark of the Covenant is first mentioned in the Book of Exodus, when God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to build an ark (a chest) out of “acacia wood” that is “two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high” and overlayed with “pure gold.” Moses is instructed to “put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law which I will give you.”
In addition to the Ten Commandments, the Ark of the Covenant is also said to contain Aaron’s rod, the magical staff once used by Moses’ brother, and a jar of manna, a miraculous food source that God gave the Israelites while they were traveling through the wilderness. But while the objects it contains are certainly precious, the Ark is said to have immense powers of its own.
Paramount PicturesIn the beloved 1981 adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark, the character Indiana Jones famously races to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis get to it.
Religious texts describe how it cleared dangers out of the way for the Israelites, stopped the flow of the Jordan River to allow them to cross into the Promised Land, and allowed the Israelites to triumph during the Battle of Jericho, when the Ark led the city’s walls to collapse. Chillingly, looking at the Ark inappropriately could be fatal, as it was to some men of Beth Shemesh who recklessly “looked into” the sacred object in 1 Samuel 6.
The Ark eventually made its way to Jerusalem, where it was placed in the Temple of Solomon, according to 2 Chronicles 35. But what happened after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem around 586 B.C.E.?
Public DomainA depiction of the sacking of Jerusalem by the Babylonians around 586 B.C.E. After this point, the Ark of the Covenant’s location becomes murky — and it’s still unclear exactly what happened to it.
Where is the Ark of the Covenant now?
Where Is The Ark Of The Covenant? The Most Convincing Theories About Its Location
Though it’s possible that the Babylonians destroyed the Ark of the Covenant, it was curiously not listed among their spoils. As such, many believe that the Ark survived the attack. If that’s true, where is the relic now?
Afrohistory/Wikimedia CommonsOne of the most prominent theories about the location of the Ark of the Covenant states that it resides in Ethiopia, where it was brought by King Solomon’s legendary son Menelik.
One of the most popular theories about the location of the Ark of the Covenant is that it’s held at the Church of St. Mary of Zion in Axum (sometimes spelled Aksum), Ethiopia. According to Ethiopia’s 14th-century national epic, the Kebra Nagast, the Ark was taken from the Temple of Solomon by a group of sons of Israelite nobles who were traveling with Menelik, the legendary son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Thanks to the power of the Ark, Menelik was purportedly able to conquer great swaths of the territory that would eventually become Ethiopia.
However, the Ark of the Covenant is purportedly hidden from view. Only a single virgin monk tasked with guarding the object is allowed near it, which makes verifying its presence difficult. Furthermore, a British historian who was able to see the supposed Ark during World War II claimed that it was only a replica and not the real relic, casting doubt on its authenticity.
Meanwhile, some believe that this sacred object is not in Ethiopia at all.
Another theory about the Ark of the Covenant’s location suggests that it’s hidden beneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. However, this implies that it could be located beneath the Dome of the Rock shrine — which is sacred in Islam. It’s thus difficult to conduct a dig at the site.
Simchu0000/Wikimedia CommonsSome theories suggest that the Ark of the Covenant is located beneath the Temple Mount, but the sacred Islamic shrine Dome of the Rock makes digging here difficult.
Other theories suggest that the sacred object is in Egypt, or even somewhere in Europe, where it could have been taken during the Crusades by the Knights Templar. In the Books of the Maccabees, which are considered non-canonical by Jews and some Christians, it’s alleged that the Ark was placed in a cave on Mount Nebo in Jordan by the prophet Jeremiah.
But the Mount Nebo version of the story — and others — suggest that the sacred object will remain hidden until God decides it can be seen again.
Why This Elusive Religious Artifact May Not Appear Again Until The “End Times”
The Book of 2 Maccabees suggests that the Ark of the Covenant is located somewhere in Mount Nebo in Jordan. However, the prophet Jeremiah proclaims that the object’s exact location “shall remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy.”
The Book of Revelation similarly suggests that the Ark of the Covenant will remain hidden until a significant moment — the apocalypse.
Wikimedia CommonsA 16th-century depiction of the apocalypse.
Revelation states: “The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small — and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” It continues: “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.”
So where is the Ark of the Covenant? No one knows for sure. Assuming the object once existed — and adherents of Judaism and Christianity believe that it did — its trail went cold back around 586 B.C.E. when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem. This religious object has been missing ever since.
Perhaps it really is located somewhere in Ethiopia, or Jordan, or Jerusalem. But perhaps the Ark of the Covenant will not be seen by mortal eyes again until the end times, as the Book of Revelation seems to suggest.
After reading about the mysterious location of the Ark of the Covenant, go inside the search for the Holy Grail. Or, untangle the curious questions of what Jesus Christ actually looked like and what his real name was.
