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Building the Ark of the Covenant

37 Next Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.[a] He overlaid it inside and outside with pure gold, and he ran a molding of gold all around it. He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on each side. Then he made poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He inserted the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.

Then he made the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.[b] He made two cherubim from hammered gold and placed them on the two ends of the atonement cover. He molded the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. The cherubim faced each other and looked down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they protected it.

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Footnotes

  1. 37:1 Hebrew 2.5 cubits [115 centimeters] long, 1.5 cubits [69 centimeters] wide, and 1.5 cubits high.
  2. 37:6 Hebrew 2.5 cubits [115 centimeters] long and 1.5 cubits [69 centimeters] wide.

37 Next Bezalel made the Ark. This was constructed of acacia wood and was 3-3/4 feet long, 2-1/4 feet wide, and 2-1/4 feet high. It was plated with pure gold inside and out, and had a molding of gold all the way around the sides. There were four gold rings fastened into its four feet, two rings at each end. Then he made poles from acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark, to carry it.

Then, from pure gold, he made a lid called “the place of mercy”; it was 3-3/4 feet long and 2-1/4 feet wide. He made two statues of Guardian Angels of beaten gold and placed them at the two ends of the gold lid. They were molded so that they were actually a part of the gold lid—it was all one piece. The Guardian Angels faced each other, with outstretched wings that overshadowed the place of mercy, looking down upon it.

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