Bible Dictionary
Testimony, Tabernacle of
The Tabernacle of Testimony was the wilderness sanctuary containing the tablets of the covenant. The ark in which the tablets were placed was therefore called the ark of the testimony.
Definition
The Tabernacle of Testimony was the wilderness sanctuary containing “the testimony,” namely the two covenant tables. The ark in which the tables were deposited was called the ark of the testimony.
Biblical Usage
The testimony identified the covenant tablets kept in the sanctuary. The ark was also called the testimony, linking the sanctuary and its central sacred object with God’s covenant revelation.
Historical Background
The designation emphasizes that the tabernacle’s great glory was its custody of the two tables of the covenant.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The tabernacle, the great glory of which was that it contained “the testimony”, i.e., the “two tables” (Ex. 38:21). The ark in which these tables were deposited was called the “ark of the testimony” (40:3), and also simply the “testimony” (27:21; 30:6).