The ark of the covenant was constructed by the children of Israel to house and transport the two tables of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments. Many extra-Biblical traditions exist about the ark; however, the Bible includes rich and thought-provoking accounts about the combination of God's immanence and omnipresence that it signifies.
The ark was a box, or chest, described as one of the accoutrements of the tabernacle, the portable sacred space that was to accompany the Hebrews through the wilderness to Canaan. Moses first received the divine law, and then the ark as a means for anchoring the divine law at the core of the Hebrews' lived experience. God gave Moses detailed instructions for the total plan of the ark: "Make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among [you]. Make it exactly according to the design I show you" (Ex. 25:8, 9 New English Bible). The revealed design was to be beautiful and functional. The Hebrews were probably already familiar with similar pieces used for religious purposes. The Egyptians carried wooden chests containing the images of their deities in elaborate public processions, as did the Assyrians. Unlike the pagan cultists, however, the Israelites' ark of the covenant carried no graven images. The contents of the ark consisted of the tables of the Mosaic law, as well as Aaron's rod and a container of manna, according to the New Testament (see Heb. 9:4).
One of the ark's notable features was the "mercy seat," which functioned as the lid of the chest (see Ex. 25:17). It signified the throne of God, the center of divine communication, the focal point of the tabernacle's primary function as the locus of worship. The two cherubs faced the mercy seat on the ark. Their outspread wings might have signified submission to God, or protective shielding of the glorious divine presence from human eyes.
