These terms refer to a special wooden chest, overlaid with gold, that contained the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written. It also contained Aaron’s staff and a jar of manna.
* During the time that the ark of the covenant was in the most holy place of the temple, the high priest was the only one who could approach the ark, once a year on the Day of Atonement.
* Many English versions translate the term “covenant decrees” literally as “testimony.” This refers to the fact that the Ten Commandments were a testimony or witness to God’s covenant with his people. It is also translated as “covenant law.”