What did the Ark of the Covenant contain?

• A. A jar of manna.
• B. A golden statue of Moses.
• C. The stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.
• D. The staff of Aaron.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is what the sacred chest was designed to hold as a sign of God’s covenant with His people. The Ark of the Covenant contains the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, which Moses received from God on Mount Sinai. These tablets symbolize the law and the relationship between God and Israel, so placing them inside the Ark made the chest a powerful, portable reminder of that covenant. The Ark was kept in the Holy of Holies and topped with a glorious lid called the mercy seat, underscoring its special presence among the people.

While some traditions later speak of a pot of manna or Aaron’s rod being associated with the Ark, the explicit and most direct description identifies the stone tablets as its primary contents. There isn’t any biblical basis for a golden statue of Moses being placed inside the Ark.