Our Theory: The Location of the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon’s Temple
Our theory wants to demonstrate that King Solomon set up a clever stratagem in order to respect God’s will of placing the Ark in its designated location, where it could remain forever without being discovered, not even at the time of the destruction of the Temple!
King Solomon: Why was Solomon chosen to build the Temple and not his father David, the beloved of God, who had asked for it?
We read (1 Kings 3:12) that God gave to Solomon wisdom as no man had before him and none will, ever after. Certainly, only a genius was capable of building a House where the Ark could remain forever, without being revealed!
Solomon was the one.
The know-how: Why did Solomon take the daughter of the King of Egypt as a wife? (1 Kings 3:1). This is quite surprising and apparently in bad taste… But, with a careful reading, one can notice that whenever this union is being reported, immediately after, there is mention in the text of some building: the walls, the palace of the King, the House of the Lord. How suspicious! Maybe the lady was not an actual wife (she is not even named) but she was the one who brought the needed construction know-how from Egypt?
It is well known that the Egyptians had a phenomenal experience in hiding the entrance to the tombs of their kings. They did use a system which would camouflage the entrance in such a way that it would look like the natural bedrock to possible robbers, and therefore not worth digging. Huge blocks would be carried on top of an artificial mound of sand. The sand would then be taken away and the block would slowly come down and close the entrance to the tomb, looking as the natural bedrock.
More follows!
The Dvir: What is it doing here? It is a mystery!
When God gives instructions to Moses to erect the Tabernacle (Ex. 25 8:9), He tells him that, in the future, His House should be built according to the same plan.
In the Tabernacle, the Holy of Holies measured 10×10 cubits. Surprisingly, in Solomon’s Temple, we find a room, called the Dvir of the House, in which the Ark was introduced, and measured 20×20 cubits (1 Kings 8:6) . The word Dvir never appears again in the Bible, referring to the Holy of Holies, not even in Ezekiel’s plan for the Third Temple! It is mentioned only as the name of a village. How suspicious! The measures are not the required ones and the strange name is not to be found elsewhere.
Usually, people are led to believe that the Dvir is the Holy of Holies. However, with a careful reading we notice that it never says that it is actually the Holy of Holies. It is called the Dvir of the House. For instance, we read that the Ark was taken “toward its place, toward the Dvir of the House, toward (again!) the Holy of Holies” (1 Kings 8:6). This repetition is tantamount of saying to go “toward the railway station, toward Paris”. It is evident that the station is not yet Paris and the Dvir of the House is not the Holy of Holies either!
It is an intermediate station.
The Staves: The Cohanim placed the Ark in the Dvir (1 Kings 8:6), but the staves, used for its transportation, protruded and could be seen from the outside (id. 8:9). How suspicious! We know that the staves could not be taken off the Ark (Ex. 25:15) and therefore they are the same in the Temple. How comes these staves fit very well in the Tabernacle but protrude in the Dvir, which is four times wider? The logical place would have been at the bottom or at the center of the room, where they would certainly not have protruded! Aren’t we shown that the Ark did not yet reach the end of its voyage….?
It is in a temporary parking space!
The cloud: when the Cohanim came out of the Holy, a cloud filled the House, to the point that they were not able to finish ministering! (1 Kings 8:11) and they had to move far away. How suspicious! There are no material miracles during the whole reign of Solomon. This would be the only one! If we compare, with an attentive reading, what had happened when Moses introduces the Ark into the Tabernacle, it is emphasized that he introduced the Ark in the Holy of Holies and “he had finished his work”, and then and only then, the cloud appears (Ex. 40:33). Instead, at the inauguration of Solomon’s Temple, when the cloud appears the Cohanim could not finish their office! (1 Kings 8:10). Did God forget His good manners or was it a way for King Solomon to get rid of unwanted witnesses?
The speech: Solomon gives an emotional speech to the Children of Israel assembled in Jerusalem. We should keep in mind that Solomon was a champion in playing with double-meaning expressions. For instance, when the two mothers come to judgment, demanding the baby, he ordered to cut him in two (!) and… he immediately understood who was the real mother! (1 Kings 3:16/27) So, a very careful reading of the speech is required.
Solomon tells us (1 Kings 8:12-13): “God said He will dwell in darkness (in Hebrew arafel). I built/constructed for You (note the repetition) a splendid House (in Hebrew beit zvul) for Your eternal residence”. How suspicious! The word zvul does not appear elsewhere in the Bible, except as the name of a person! Moreover, later on, Solomon exclaims (1 Kings 8:27) “…. heaven and heavens of heavens cannot contain You…. ” hinting to the well known tradition of the Seven Heavens, an old tradition shared by many other cultures.
Heavens have a name in Hebrew: the lowest one is called arafel! and above it, is zvul!!! (see Even Shushan ‘s well known Hebrew dictionary). One can now interpret and also “translate” Solomon’s message: the House will be built high and in full view, while the Holy of Holies will be at a lower level, even in an underground level, not to be noticed.
Click on picture to open larger image
Hence, the reference to some kind of double-building (built /constructed). Evidently, it was known to Solomon that this House could be destroyed. Consequently, he had to use his God given wisdom, together with the know-how brought by the daughter of the King of Egypt. He built the House high and visible, while the Holy of Holies was secretly built under it. Thus, he followed God’s will to place the Ark in the designated location, but in such a way that it was impossible to notice it, even at the time of destruction!
AND THERE IT IS UNTIL TODAY
How did it happen:
The timing: Solomon begins the building of the Temple four hundred and eighty years after the Exodus. It took seven years of work and it was finished exactly in the month of Bul, which is the 8th month (1 Kings 6:38). Then, Solomon calls all of Israel for the inauguration, in the month of Ethanim which is the 7th month… clearly of the following year! (1 Kings 8:2). How suspicious! Why did he wait eleven months? This wondrous event, expected for such a long time, should have taken place immediately, at the end of construction! Why wait? What happened during these months? Was Solomon busy putting together, on the ground, all the details of his operation?
The inauguration: Solomon did build the House, having covered all the floors with wood, so, no stone could be seen! (1 Kings 6:18). How advantageous! Who would check under the wood?
At the moment of inauguration, he let the Ark be placed in the deceptive Dvir, but he indicates that it is not the end of the voyage (the staves) and he got rid of witnesses (the cloud). Then, we assume, faithful workers opened the cover of the real Holy of Holies, lowered the Ark into its designated place and closed the cover again. No need to say that the cover was a compact slab of rock, looking like the natural bedrock.
The Egyptians used thousands of slaves to achieve this. But, Solomon did not have such a possibility and had to use machines. So, where are the machines? Click on picture to open larger image
The machines: To realize the difficult operation of raising and lowering this heavy slab of rock, Solomon took advantage of the Egyptian know how. He used those two peculiar pillars at the entrance of the Sanctuary, named Yachin and Boaz (1 Kings 7:15-16). They were 18 cubits high with a capital of 5 cubits on top. They were hollow, self standing and did not support any part of the building.
According to the Egyptians’ skill, the pillars could have been filled with thin sand, which would be made to pour out at the right moment, causing the descent of the weighty capital. The capital was attached to a pulley tied to the slab of rock to be raised and eventually lowered.
See an animated picture of this performance showing the descent of the two capitals, causing the opening and the closing of the real Holy of Holies.
- The Opening (animation)
- The Closing (animation)
It is interesting to point out that, in Solomon’s times, they knew only one machine, the lever, which can be rigid or articulate, as in the pulley. We ask, why was it needed to give a name to the pillars? Now, the root of the names of the pillars, Yachin and Boaz, is the same, in Hebrew, as the root of the name of two parts of a lever: base and force! Suspicious, no?
Again, with a careful reading of the text, one can realize that these machines did actually move. When the Babylonians destroy the House, they were obviously interested by the enormous quantity of bronze constituting the two pillars. They had to cut them in pieces for transportation. The decision was made, we are told, because the height of the pillars was 18 cubits and the capitals 3 cubits! Check the measures in 1 Kings 7:15 when they were built (five cubits) and in 2 Kings 25:17, at the moment of the destruction, the capitals are seen as 3 cubits high! We can understand that the Babylonians measured only what they could see and they missed the difference of two cubits which had sunk inside the pillars! Evident, no?
There is a multitude of other suspicious matters to be considered and questions to be answered, which can further strengthen this theory, but there is no room here.
WHERE IS THE REAL HOLY OF HOLIES OF SOLOMON’S TEMPLE CONTAINING THE ARK?
According to our theory, we obviously conclude that it can only be on the Temple Mount, with the support of many, not least the Rambam (Hilchot Bet ha Bechira). But, where?
The tradition indicates the Dome of the Rock as the site of the First Temple and later on of the Second, which means one and same spot. This is unacceptable. The Babylonians did not built anything on the ruins of the First Temple. But later on, after the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, they built a temple to Jupiter on its ruins. If both our Temples had been built on the same location, and if our theory is considered, it means that on top of the Holy of Holies of the First Temple, containing the Ark, God would have let the Romans build the abomination of a pagan temple. Hard to believe! It is clear that the Second Temple has been built in a different spot. How?
The explanation is simple. When the Jews returned from Babylon, they fortunately missed the exact location! They built the Second House, which did not contain the Ark, on a different site! Therefore, no foreign building was ever erected on top of the real Holy of Holies, containing the Ark.
The proof? At the moment of starting the building of the new Temple, while still only digging the foundation, some of the Jews were rejoicing, while some, who had seen the First House, we are told, were crying (Ezra 3:11-12). What were they crying about, just at the moment that the digging had begun? The only logical explanation is because they noticed that the location was not the exact one, and they could not oppose it! Evident?
There is a wide area on the Temple Mount, on the northern part of the platform, just in front of the Gate of Mercy (wrongly called the Golden Gate). To the west of it stands a small dome, the Dome of the Spirits, whose floor is constituted of a single slab of rock. The locals refuse to talk about it or to give explanations. They only say that it is bad! Evidently, there is the vague memory of a messy event in the past… maybe a try to dig? How suspicious.
Click on picture to open larger image
This is definitely our favorite possible location. Besides, the space is empty of other buildings, which does not require their demolition in order to build the Third Temple…which will sit ultimately over the real Holy of Holies containing the Ark of Covenant!
Last but not least, we believe that the wise Solomon left us a Treasury Map. Most probably, it is in the mysterious Song of Songs, attributed to him and full of expressions which can be interpreted in so many different ways. We found a few clues and we are studying them. We hope that it will deliver its secret, when the time has come!
Other theories including Mount Nebo, Ethiopia, Masonic symbols, etc. and our confutation.
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