The Ark of the Covenant: An Ancient Description of an Object That Could Deliver an Electric Shock

The Book of Exodus describes the Ark of the Covenant as an object built to specific dimensions and from specific materials. It is made of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide and high. A cubit is usually estimated at about half a metre, so the Ark would have been about 1.1 metres long and about 0.7 metres wide and high. Gold covers both its inner and outer surfaces. Four gold rings at its feet hold carrying poles made of wood covered with gold. Two gold cherubim stand on the gold lid.

The Bible also records deaths linked to touching the Ark. Uzzah reaches out to steady it when the oxen shake the cart and dies on the spot. The Kohathites are assigned to transport sacred objects, but priests must cover the Ark before it is carried, and the carriers must not touch it. Some writers read these details differently: the Ark may have stored or released electricity, while the ban on touching it was a safety rule expressed in religious language.