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What is in The Ark of The Covenant?
In 2 Chronicles 5 and 1 Kings 8, it states that inside the Ark of the Covenant were only the 10 commandments; however, in Hebrews 9:4, it states there were three items: a golden jar, Aaron's rod, and the 10 commandments. To understand what is going on here, we need to understand some context.
2 Chronicles 5:10
2 Chronicles 5:10
"There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt," (2 Chronicles 5:10 NASB1995).
1 Kings 8:9
1 Kings 8:9
"There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt," (1 Kings 8:9 NASB1995).
Hebrews 9:4
Hebrews 9:4
"having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant," (Hebrews 9:4 NASB1995).
In 2 Chronicles and 1 Kings, the Ark of the Covenant is inside of the First Temple (i.e. Solomon's Temple). Hebrews 9 describes the time of the Tabernacle, far before the events of 2 Chronicles and 1 Kings. The point being is that at one point in time, the time of the Tabernacle, there were 3 items in the Ark. At the time of the First Temple, two of the items seem to have been removed (Barnes; Cambridge; Crossway; Keener).
Some scholars have also purposed that this a poor translation of the original Greek; rather than saying that all three items were in the ark, it may be that the author of Hebrews just means that the other two items were just within the Tabernacle, not the ark (Keener 652).
Thus, there is no contradiction.
References:
Barnes' Notes on the New Testament. United Kingdom, Kregel Publications, 1962.
ESV Study Bible. United States, Crossway, 2008.
Image by The Jewish Museum, Public Domain
Keener, Craig S.. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 2nd Edition. United Kingdom, InterVarsity Press, 2014.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. United Kingdom, The University Press, 1905.
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