“It was in secret chambers like these, whose whereabouts were guarded by a select few, that the Ark of the Covenant could have been hidden before the final Babylonian invasion of Judah in 586 BC, which culminated with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon.”
The Bible lists the many treasures plundered and carried to Babylon by the King Nebuchadnezzar.
But the biblical records do not mention the Ark of the Covenant, suggesting it may have never been stolen.
The plundered treasures were later sent back to Jerusalem on the order King Cyrus and were restored to the Second Jewish Temple.
In total, some 5,400 objects were returned to the Israelites – but there is no mention of the Ark among the relics.
