Bible Dictionary
ARK OF THE COVENANT
ARK OF THE COVENANT
It is also called the Ark of God, the Ark of the Testimony, the Ark of Jehovah. It was the sacred chest of the Tabernacle and the Temple. It was made of acacia wood, covered inside and out with pure gold. It was 2-1/2 cubits long and 1-1/2 cubits wide and high, with a crown or cornice of gold around it.
It had gold rings on each side where the bars with which it was transported were inserted. Its cover, on which there were two cherubs made entirely of gold, was called the MERCY (see). The ark was a type of Christ in that it was a figure of the manifestation of divine justice (gold) in man; The mercy seat was the throne of Jehovah, his dwelling place on earth.
In the ark were placed the two tables of stone (the justice that God demanded of man) and then the golden vessel containing manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded. Regarding the place of the ark and how it was moved, see TABERNACLE.
During the children of Israel’s first journey from Mount Sinai the ark of the covenant went before them, “seeking a resting place for them,” exemplifying God’s gracious care for them (Num. 10:33).
When they reached the Jordan, the ark was carried by the priests 2,000 cubits ahead of the hosts, so that they would know which way they should go (Josh. 3:3, 4), and the ark remained on the shoulders of the priests on the bed. of the river, until all had passed over (Josh. 3:17). This is a type of the association in the death and resurrection of Christ.
The ark accompanied them in their first victory at Jericho. It is only by the power of Christ in resurrection that the believer can have victory. The tabernacle was planted in Shiloh, and undoubtedly the ark remained there (Josh. 18:1). In the days of Eli, upon seeing themselves defeated by the Philistines, the Israelites went to look for the ark in Shiloh, so that it would save them.
They were again defeated, and the ark, in which they had placed their trust, rather than in Jehovah, was taken by the Philistines (1 Sam. 5:1). But the ark caused them such misfortunes that they decided to return it to the Israelites and placed it on board a new chariot.
This one, drawn by two cows that were breeding, without any driving, miraculously got away from his calves and headed towards Beth-shemesh. There, God struck the men of that place for having looked into the ark. He remained afterwards in the house of Abinadab (1 Sam. 6; 7: 1, 2), in Kiriath-jearim.
Years later David wanted to take the ark to Jerusalem, imitating the way the Philistines had done it, who ignored God’s precise instructions in the law about how it should be carried.
A misfortune ensued from this, for David should have known the Law, and was guilty of neglect of sacred things, along with those around him. Taken to the house of Obed-edom, God blessed this house. Then David had the ark carried again, this time following divine order, on the shoulders of the Levites (2 Sam. 6).
When Solomon had built the temple, the ark was carried there, and the staves with which it was carried were removed: the ark had now found its resting place in the kingdom of Solomon, which typifies the millennial kingdom. There were only the two stone tables of the law (1 Kings 8:11).
The manna had ceased when they ate of the fruit of the earth, which typifies the heavenly Christ; and the testimony of Aaron’s rod was not needed now that they were in the theocratic kingdom.
The wilderness circumstances, in which the manna and priesthood of Christ were so needed, had now passed. This is mentioned in Hebrews (Heb. 9:4) because there what is considered is the tabernacle and not the temple; the pilgrimage and not the rest.
No further mention is made of the ark; It is assumed that she was taken with the sacred vessels to Babylon and never returned. If so, there was no ark in the second temple or in the temple erected by Herod.
Nor do we read of any ark in connection with the temple described by Ezekiel. In Revelation the ark of the covenant of God is seen in the temple of God in heaven (Rev. 11:19). It is a symbol of the resumption of God’s dealings with the people of Israel.
BETHEL
is the name of a Canaanite city in the ancient region of Samaria, located in the center of the land of Canaan, northwest of Ai on the road to Shechem, 30 kilometers south of Shiloh and about 16 kilometers north of Jerusalem.
Bethel is the second most mentioned city in the Bible. Some identify it with the Palestinian village of Beitin and others with the Israeli settlement of Beit El.
Bethel was the place where Abraham built his altar when he first arrived in Canaan (Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3). And at Bethel Jacob saw a vision of a ladder whose top touched heaven and the angels ascended and descended (Genesis 28:10-19).
For this reason Jacob was afraid, and said, “How terrible is this place! It is nothing other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven »and he called Bethel the place that was known as «Light» (Genesis 35-15).
Bethel was also a sanctuary in the days of the prophet Samuel, who judged the people there (1 Samuel 7:16; 1 Samuel 10:3). And it was the place where Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, was buried.
Bethel was the birthplace of Hiel, who sought to rebuild the city of Jericho (1 Kings 16:34).
When Bethel did not yet belong to the people of Israel, Joshua had to battle against the king of Bethel and other kings and defeated them (Joshua 12-16).
When the people of Israel had taken possession of the promised land, in the division by tribes it was assigned to the Tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18-22), but in later times it belonged to the Tribe of Judah (2 Chronicles 13:19).
It was one of the places where the Ark of the Covenant remained, a symbol of the presence of God.
In Bethel the prophet Samuel judged the people.
Then the prophet Elisha went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some boys came out of the city and mocked him, and said to him: “Go up, bald man; Come up, bald! When he looked back and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the forest and tore to pieces forty-two boys” (2 Kings 2:23).
After the division of the kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam I, king of Israel, had a golden calf raised at Bethel (1 Kings 21:29) which was destroyed by Josiah, king of Judah, many years later (2 Kings 23:15). .
Bethel was also a place where some of the Babylonian exiles who returned to Israel in 537 BC gathered. (Ezra 2:28).
The prophet Hosea, a century before Jeremiah, refers to Bethel by another name: “Bet-Aven” (Hosea 4:15; Hosea 5:8; Hosea 10:5-8), which means ‘House of Iniquity’, ‘House of Nothingness’, ‘House of Vanity’, ‘House of Nullity’, that is, of idols.
In Amos 7: 12-13 the priest Amaziah tells the prophet Amos that he flee to Judah and no longer prophesy in Bethel because it is the king’s sanctuary, and the head of the kingdom.
The prophet Jeremiah states that “the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel” (Jeremiah 48:13), because of their idolatry and, specifically, the worship of the golden calf.
PUTEOLI
(lat.: “small fountains”).
Two days after arriving in Rhegium, the ship carrying Paul arrived at Puteoli, which was then an important maritime city.
The apostle found Christians there, and enjoyed their hospitality (Acts 28:13).
It was located on the northern coast of the Gulf of Naples, near the site of present-day Pouzzoles.
The entire surrounding region is volcanic, and the Solfatare crater rises behind the city.
PUT
Name of a nation related to the Egyptians and neighbors of their country (Gen. 10:6).
Put is mentioned with Egypt and other African countries, especially Libya (Nah. 3:9) and Lud (Ez. 27:10; Is. 66:19 in the LXX. Put appears between Cush and Lud in Jer. 46:9; Ez. 30:5).
In the LXX he is translated as Libyans in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Josephus also identifies it with Libya (Ant. 1:6, 2), but in Nah. 3.9 is distinguished from the Libyans.
Current opinion is divided between Somalia, Eastern Arabia and Southern Arabia (Perfume Coast).
PURPLE
A coloring substance that is extracted from various species of mollusks. The ancient Tyrians used two types of them: the “Murex trunculus”, from which the bluish purple was extracted, and the “Murex brandaris”, which gave the red.
The ink of its coloring matter varies in color depending on the region in which it is fished.
Piles of murex shells, artificially opened, have been discovered in Minet el-Beida, port of ancient Ugarit (Ras Shamra), which gives evidence of the great antiquity of the use of this purple dye (see UGARIT).
Due to its high price, only the rich and magistrates wore purple (Est. 8:15, cf. the exaltation of Mordecai, v. 2, Pr. 31:22; Dan. 5:7; 1 Mac. 10 :20, 62, 64; 2 Mac. 4:38; cf. v 31; Luke 16:19; Rev. 17:4).
The rulers adorned themselves in purple, even those of Midian (Judg. 8:26). Jesus was mocked with a purple robe (Mark 15:17).
Great use had been made of purple-dyed fabrics for the Tabernacle (Ex. 25:4; 26:1, 31, 36) and for the high priest’s vestments (Ex. 28:5, 6, 15, 33; 39: 29). The Jews gave symbolic value to purple (Wars 5:5, 4).
PURIM
(Heb., plural of “luck”).
Haman cast lots to determine a day of good omen for the destruction of the Jews.
As Haman’s designs were undone, the liberation of the Jews was marked by an annual festival (Est. 3:7; 9:24-32) on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar.
This festival is not mentioned by name in the NT, although there are exegetes who assume that it is the one referred to in Jn. 5:1.
This festival continues to be celebrated within Judaism: the book of Esther is read, and curses are pronounced on Haman and his wife, blessings are pronounced on Mordecai and the eunuch Harbonah (Est. 1:10; 7: 9).
PURIFICATION, PURITY
In the Mosaic Law four ways to purify oneself from contamination were indicated:
(a) Purification of contamination contracted by touching a dead person (Num. 19; cf. Num. 5:2, 3),
(b) Purification from impurity due to bodily emissions (Lev. 15; cf. Num. 5:2, 3).
(c) Purification of the woman in labor (Lev. 12:1-8; Luke 2:21-24).
(d) Purification of the leper (Lev. 14).
To this, the scribes and Pharisees added many other purifications, such as washing hands before eating, washing vessels and dishes, showing great zeal in these things, while inside they were full of extortion and iniquity (Mark 7: 2-8).
In Christianity the necessary purification extends:
to the heart (Acts 15:9; James 4:8),
to the soul (1 Pet. 1:22), and
to the conscience through the blood of Christ (Heb. 9:14).
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BETHEL
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