Wood Decay in Ark of Covenant

cloudyday2

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The Ark of the Covenant was made of acacia wood covered in gold leaf. How quickly would the acacia wood decay (disallowing for discussion purposes the possibility that God would miraculously prevent decay)?

I believe there were wooden artifacts in King Tut's tomb (?). Of course the climate in Egypt is different. The gold leaf might protect the wood from the air though.

The Ark of the Covenant existed in the Bible from the time of Moses to the time of Solomon and possibly longer. Would the Ark need maintenance to replace decayed wood over time?
 

Occams Barber

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The Ark of the Covenant was made of acacia wood covered in gold leaf. How quickly would the acacia wood decay (disallowing for discussion purposes the possibility that God would miraculously prevent decay)?

I believe there were wooden artifacts in King Tut's tomb (?). Of course the climate in Egypt is different. The gold leaf might protect the wood from the air though.

The Ark of the Covenant existed in the Bible from the time of Moses to the time of Solomon and possibly longer. Would the Ark need maintenance to replace decayed wood over time?

Acacia is naturally resistant to decay and insects:

Because of the slow growth of the tree, the wood is hard and dense. The heartwood is dark red-brown and attractive when polished. This wood is resistant to decay because the tree deposits in the heartwood many waste substances which are preservatives and render the wood unpalatable to insects making the wood dense and difficult to be penetrated by water and other decay agents.
Plants of the Bible - ODU Plant Site

Incidentally, the acacia family originated (a long, long time ago) in Australia.

OB
 
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apogee

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Probably need to find it again, to know for sure.

raiders-of-the-lost-ark-warehouse.jpg
 
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St_Worm2

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Hello @cloudyday2, since the Ark and all of its parts and pieces were made of or covered by gold, inside and out, I imagine that it lasted w/o any signs of decay for a VERY long time.

--David

Exodus 25
10 They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.
11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it.
12 You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it.
13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.
14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them.
15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it.
16 You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.
17 You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.
18 You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat.


 
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apogee

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It does raise an interesting question though....Ark...?

I mean what scholarly genius thought "hmmm, we have a massive boat and a reasonably large ornate box, how shall we refer to them?"..."I know lets just use exactly the same word....one so insanely obscure, that no one will ever get them confused with any other objects in existence"
 
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Bungle_Bear

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It does raise an interesting question though....Ark...?

I mean what scholarly genius thought "hmmm, we have a massive boat and a reasonably large ornate box, how shall we refer to them?"..."I know lets just use exactly the same word....one so insanely obscure, that no one will ever get them confused with any other objects in existence"
Ark etymology
 
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Occams Barber

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It does raise an interesting question though....Ark...?

I mean what scholarly genius thought "hmmm, we have a massive boat and a reasonably large ornate box, how shall we refer to them?"..."I know lets just use exactly the same word....one so insanely obscure, that no one will ever get them confused with any other objects in existence"

The original Latin 'arca' was a reference to a large box or chest. If you think of Noah's Ark and the Covenant Ark as box-like structures you can see the common meaning of 'Ark'.

Old English earc, Old Northumbrian arc, mainly meaning Noah's but also the Ark of the Covenant, from Latin arca "large box, chest" (see arcane), the word used in the Vulgate.
ark | Search Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com)

OB
 
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Subduction Zone

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i think that decay would not quickly be a problem because acacia wood is hard wood, plus it was clad in gold.
At best it was probably clad in gold leaf. That does not offer much in the way of protection.
 
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cloudyday2

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cloudyday2

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At best it was probably clad in gold leaf. That does not offer much in the way of protection.
Do the pieces of foil used in gold leaf form an airtight seal when applied? In other words do two adjacent pieces of foil adhere together sufficiently to block the air?
 
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Occams Barber

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Do the pieces of foil used in gold leaf form an airtight seal when applied? In other words do two adjacent pieces of foil adhere together sufficiently to block the air?
Yes

When done properly the junction between leaves is invisible and more or less airtight. It may however be subject to cracking over time depending on the moisture content of the wood before it was coated. There is also the probability of mechanical damage (knocks, bumps and scrapes) and some uncovered wood, allowing for expansion/contraction reactions to external changes in humidity.

Having said all this, the combination of gold leaf and natural immunity would pretty much guarantee the Ark would retain it's integrity for 100s, or perhaps, even 1000s, of years.

OB
 
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apogee

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Apparently the word of Noah's Ark in Hebrew is "tevah" and that word is applied to two different structures - Noah's boat and the tiny boat made for the baby Moses.
6-6: The Hebrew word for "ark" only appears twice in the Scriptures - WELCOME TO THE MESSIANIC REVOLUTION

The Hebrew word for the Ark of the Covenant is "aron" which is a box used for bringing order from chaos (somewhat like Law).
Hebrew Word Definition: Ark | AHRC

Both really interesting bits of information.
 
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Subduction Zone

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Do the pieces of foil used in gold leaf form an airtight seal when applied? In other words do two adjacent pieces of foil adhere together sufficiently to block the air?
I would say no. And then only exposed surfaces would be covered. It is not a preservative.
 
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I believe there were wooden artifacts in King Tut's tomb (?). Of course the climate in Egypt is different. The gold leaf might protect the wood from the air though.

When photos were first released some people thought they spotted the Ark of the Covenant there. Turns out it was just a similarly-designed chest. The design itself seems to be based on a common type box with carrying poles used in Egypt.
 
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