ark

ark

ark The English translates two unrelated Hebrew nouns: (1) The first is that of the vessel of three storeys in which Noah and his family and animals were accommodated during the Flood. This legend of Gen. 6–9 is similar to, and was perhaps influenced by, the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic which also features an enormous boat. The same Hebrew word is used for the basket in which the infant Moses was placed (Exod. 2: 3). This ark is referred to by 1 Pet. 3: 20–1 in the context of Christian baptism, which also saves through water. (2) The other noun denotes the Ark of the Covenant, a kind of portable shrine with a lid carried in the wilderness and round Jericho (Josh. 6) and supposedly containing the two tablets of the Law (Deut. 10: 2, 5). It was regarded as a throne for the earthly presence of the invisible God, and those who desecrated it were punished (1 Sam. 6: 19). It was once captured by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4) with disastrous consequences which led them to return it to Israel. The ark was established by David in Jerusalem and installed by Solomon in the Holy of Holies of his new Temple (1 Kgs. 8: 4–7). It was believed that its presence would protect the city from its foes, but in fact the ark was probably part of the loot when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. As the focus for the rite on the Day of Atonement the ark was held by later generations to be overlaid with gold (Exod. 25: 10–16). This is referred to by Heb. 9: 4, which implies that there existed another tradition that the ark also contained a portion of manna and Aaron's rod (Exod. 16: 33; Num. 17: 10).

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "ark." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "ark." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-ark.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "ark." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-ark.html

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ark

ark a chest or coffer, especially (more fully the Ark of the Covenant) the wooden chest which contained the tablets of the laws of the ancient Israelites. Carried by the Israelites on their wanderings in the wilderness, it was cherished by them in the Promised Land; its temporary loss to the Philistines (1 Samuel 4) caused Eli's daughter-in-law to name her son Ichabod. The Ark was later placed by Solomon in the Temple at Jerusalem, but was lost when Nebuchadnezzar's forces destroyed the Temple in 586 bc. The phrases lay hands on the ark, touch the ark, mean treat irreverently what is held to be sacred.

In the Bible, the ark is the floating covered vessel built by Noah to save his family and two of every kind of animal from the Flood (see also Noah's ark). The informal phrase have come out of the ark means be very antiquated.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "ark." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "ark." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-ark.html

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Ark

Ark.
1. The vessel in which Noah supposedly saved his family and a breeding pair of each animal and bird species from the destruction of the great flood (Genesis 6. 1–9. 18).

2. The ‘ark of the covenant’ (aron ha-berith) was a container, made by God's command during the Wilderness wandering of Israel, to contain the tablets of the covenant.

3. The niche in the synagogue in which the Torah Scrolls (Scrolls of the Law) are kept. It is located on the wall which faces towards the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and is considered the holiest part of the building. A ner tamid (‘eternal light’) is kept burning in front of the Ark. In Ashkenazi circles, the Ark is called the aron or aron kodesh (‘holy Ark’), and among the Sephardim, it is known as the heikhal (‘sanctuary’).

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JOHN BOWKER. "Ark." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Ark." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ark.html

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ark

ark in the Bible. 1 Boat of Noah , which he built at God's command to preserve his family and certain creatures from the Deluge . 2 Ark of the Covenant, the sacred wooden chest of the Hebrews, representative of God or identified with Him. It was overlaid with gold inside and out and was always heavily veiled; the high priest alone could look upon its uncovered surface. Especially guarded, it was carried about by staves thrust through rings on its side, for to touch it was a profanation punished by death. Uzza, while escorting the Ark, inadvertently broke this law and so lost his life. As its presence implied victory, it accompanied the warriors into battle, where once it was captured by the Philistines. Restored after many years, the Ark found a resting place in Solomon's Temple.

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"ark." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ark." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ark.html

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Ark

Ark.
1. The Ark which Noah built to preserve life during the Flood (q.v.).

2. The Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred religious symbol of the Hebrew people and believed to represent the Presence of God. It was in the form of a wooden rectangular box, overlaid with gold inside and out. According to the traditional accounts the Israelites carried the Ark from the time of the Exodus into the land of Canaan. In Solomon's Temple its home was the ‘Holy of Holies’, which the High Priest alone entered once a year. It was apparently captured when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians c.586 BC and nothing further is known of its history.

The Christian Fathers interpreted the Ark of Noah as typifying the Church, the Ark of the Covenant as a symbol of the Lord.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ark." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ark." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Ark.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ark." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Ark.html

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ark

ark / ärk/ • n. 1. (the ark) (in the Bible) the ship built by Noah to save his family and two of every kind of animal from the Flood; Noah's ark. ∎ fig. a vessel or sanctuary that serves as protection against extinction. ∎ archaic a chest or box: the ark was of Italian walnut. ∎  a large, flat-bottomed boat. 2. short for Ark of the Covenant. ∎  (also Holy Ark) a chest or cupboard housing the Torah scrolls in a synagogue.

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"ark." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ark." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ark005.html

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ark

ark According to Genesis 6, the floating house Noah was ordered to build and live in with his family and one pair of each living creature during the flood. As the flood waters receded, it came to rest on a mountain top, believed to be Mount Ararat.

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"ark." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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ark

ark †chest, coffer; floating vessel built by Noah (Gen. 6: 14–16). OE. arc (earc), corr. to OHG. archa (G. arche), ON. ǫrk, Goth. arka; Gmc. — L. arca.

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T. F. HOAD. "ark." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "ark." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ark.html

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ark

ark.
1. Receptacle for storing the scrolls in a synagogue. See echal.

2. Type of cupboard for hanging priests' vestments in a church.

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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "ark." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Ark

Ark

clouds in lines converging to two points on opposite parts of the sky.

Example: an ark of cloud, 1839.

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"Ark." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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ark

ark, a word commonly used to mean a box or chest, but see noah's ark.

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"ark." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ark." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-ark.html

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ark

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"ark." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ark." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-ark.html

"ark." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-ark.html

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