Ark of the covenant : The portable  box that Moses built to hold the stone tablets containing the ten commandments and the manna that the Israelites ate in the desert. The ark was lined with gold inside and out, and on the top were two angels facing each other. To the Israelites the ark was a sign of God&#x27;s presence with them in their desert wanderings. In the first Temple of Jerusalem, the ark was kept in the Holy of Holies.