ark

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(West Asian mythology)

When in 63 BC Pompey stormed Jerusalem and forced his way into the Holy of Holies, to see what was there, he found an empty room. Idols, images, the paraphernalia of the temple cult in West Asian religions were noticeably absent from Judaism. Worship took place on high places and under every green tree, yet the dwelling-place of Yahweh was ‘Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great Lord’. Here saphon, ‘north’, is an allusion to Mount Saphon near Ugarit–the Olympus of the Canaanite gods. At Sinai Moses went up the mountain, and Yahweh talked to him. But after the making of the golden calf and the breaking of the first tablets of the law, Moses was told by Yahweh to fashion a wooden ark or chest in which to store the second tablets. The ‘Ark of the covenant of God’, the symbol of Hebrew belief in a special relationship with heaven, was on one occasion captured by the Philistines, but they were obliged to return it, accompanied by a trespass-offering, since the inhabitants of every city where the Ark appeared were smitten with plagues.

(ärk) pronunciation
n.
  1. often Ark Bible. The chest containing the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets, carried by the Hebrews during their desert wanderings. Also called Ark of the Covenant.
  2. often Ark Judaism. The Holy Ark.
  3. Bible. The boat built by Noah for survival during the Flood.
  4. Nautical. A large, commodious boat.
  5. A shelter or refuge.

[Middle English, from Old English arc, from Germanic *arka, from Latin arca, chest.]


An ornamental, enclosed repository in a synagogue for the scrolls of the Torah.


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.


n. an old car.  Why don't you get rid of that old ark and get something that's easier to park?

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: In the Bible, the ship that Noah built to save himself, his family, and two of every kind of animal from the flood.

pronunciation It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

Tutor's tip: An "ark" (similar to Noah's boat) can make an "arc" (segment of a circle) in the water, but not an "arch" (curved structure over an open space) over the water.

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categories related to 'ark'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to ark, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Ark.

Ark is a Latin-based word that means a "box" or container. Ark may refer to:

Contents

Religion

  • Ark (synagogue), a cabinet used to store a synagogue's Torah scroll
  • Ark of the Covenant, the consecrated container for the tablets of the Ten Commandments
  • Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses
  • Noah's Ark, according to Abrahamic religions, a large boat built by Noah to keep him safe, together with his family and a core breeding stock of the world’s animals
  • Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic), called the New Ark of the Covenant by Christians of the Catholic tradition

Film

Web Series

  • Ark (web series), a 2010 science fiction series by Trey Stokes

Places

People

  • Joan of "Ark", occasional misspelling of Joan of Arc, a French martyr and saint who led a rebellion against an English occupation

Technology

  • Ark (software), an archiving tool
  • Ark (search engine), a people search engine
  • Ark Linux, a software distribution
  • Interstellar ark, a conceptual multi-lifetime space vehicle
  • Ark (river boat), a temporary boat used in river transport in eastern North America
  • Ark (scooter)

Agriculture

Narratives

Music

Bands
Albums
Songs
Labels, venues etc.

Video games

Ships

  • The Ark, a ship used as the Scottish Marine Station in Granton, Edinburgh, then moved to the Firth of Clyde to form the basis of what is now the University Marine Biological Station Millport
  • The Ark (English ship), a ship used in founding the Province of Maryland
  • The Ark, a fictional spacecraft in the Transformers universe
  • HMS Ark Royal, a prestigious ship name in the British Royal Navy, often the name of the Fleet Flagship, has been given to five ships

Other

See also


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Dansk (Danish)
n. - Ark

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    Pagtens Ark

Nederlands (Dutch)
de ark van Noach, woonschuit, grote schuit, bergkist, toevluchtsoord, Arkansas (afkorting)

Français (French)
n. - (Hist) arche

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    (Relig) arche d'alliance

Deutsch (German)
n. - Arche

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    Bundeslade

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) κιβωτός

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    (θρησκ.) η Κιβωτός της Διαθήκης

Italiano (Italian)
arca

idioms:

  • ark of the covenant    Arca dell'Alleanza

Português (Portuguese)
n. - arca (f) (Rel.), barco (m) grande (coloq.)

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    repositório (m) onde se guardavam as leis de Moisés (Rel.)

Русский (Russian)
ковчег, ящик, баржа

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    ковчег Завета

Español (Spanish)
n. - arca

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    arca de la Alianza

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - Ark (bibl.)

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
方舟, 平底船

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    圣经柜

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 方舟, 平底船

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    聖經櫃

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 노아의 방주, 피난처, 상자

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 箱舟, 平底舟

idioms:

  • ark of the Covenant    契約の箱

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) سفينه, مبنى ضخم لا يشمل وسائل الراحه, لعبه أطفال شبيهه بسفينه نوع, صندوق‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תיבה, תיבת-נוח‬


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Ark (family name)
echal (architecture)
Elipheleh (in the Old Testament)
Van Ark (family name)