The most striking fact about the ark at an early period was that it was a direct manifestation of God’s presence (Num. 10:35–36). The Philistines equated the ark with a god (1 Sam. 4:6–8), and those who desecrated the ark were struck down by its divine power (1 Sam. 6:19; 2 Sam. 6:6–7). When we find the expression “before God” in a sanctuary context, this often seems to refer to the ark. It is possible that at one time various sanctuaries each had their own arks, but the one that became central in Israelite tradition was that of the Shiloh temple, where it had probably already become a national symbol of the tribal confederacy.
