Editing Ark of the Covenant (section)

===During the reign of King Hezekiah===
[[File:Folio 29r - The Ark of God Carried into the Temple.jpg|thumb|The Ark carried into the Temple from the early 15th century {{lang|fr|[[Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry]]}}]]
Prior to king [[Josiah]] who is the last biblical figure mentioned as having seen the Ark, king [[Hezekiah]] had seen the Ark.<ref>{{bibleverse|Isaiah|37:14–17}}.</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|2 Kings|19:14–19}}.</ref> Hezekiah is also known for protecting [[Jerusalem]] against the [[Assyrian Empire]] by improving the city walls and diverting the waters of the [[Gihon Spring]] through a tunnel known today as [[Hezekiah's Tunnel]], which channeled the water inside the city walls to the [[Pool of Siloam]].<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Chronicles|32:3–5}}.</ref>

In a noncanonical text known as the Treatise of the Vessels, [[Hezekiah]] is identified as one of the kings who had the Ark and the other treasures of [[Solomon's Temple]] hidden during a time of crisis. This text lists the following hiding places, which it says were recorded on a bronze tablet: (1) a spring named Kohel or Kahal with pure water in a valley with a stopped-up gate; (2) a spring named Kotel (or "wall" in Hebrew); (3) a spring named Zedekiah; (4) an unidentified cistern; (5) Mount Carmel; and (6) locations in Babylon.<ref>Davila, J., ''The Treatise of the Vessels (Massekhet Kelim): A New Translation and Introduction'', p. 626 (2013).</ref>

To many scholars, [[Hezekiah]] is also credited as having written all or some of the Book of Kohelet ([[Ecclesiastes]] in the Christian tradition), in particular the famously enigmatic epilogue.<ref>Quackenbos, D., Recovering an Ancient Tradition: Toward an Understanding of Hezekiah as the Author of Ecclesiastes, pp. 238–253 (2019).</ref> Notably, the epilogue appears to refer to the Ark story with references to almond blossoms (i.e., Aaron's rod), locusts, silver, and gold. The epilogue then cryptically refers to a pitcher broken at a fountain and a wheel broken at a cistern.<ref>{{Bibleverse|Ecclesiastes|12:5–6|HE}}.</ref>

Although scholars disagree on whether the Pool of Siloam's pure spring waters were used by pilgrims for ritual purification, many scholars agree that a stepped pilgrimage road between the pool and the Temple had been built in the first century CE.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tercatin |first=R. |date=2021-05-05 |title=Second Temple period 'lucky lamp' found on Jerusalem's Pilgrimage Road |url=https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/second-temple-period-lucky-lump-found-on-jerusalems-pilgrimage-road-667255 |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en-US}}</ref> This roadway has been partially excavated, but the west side of the Pool of Siloam remains unexcavated.<ref>Szanton, N.; Uziel, J. (2016), "Jerusalem, City of David [stepped street dig, July 2013 – end 2014], Preliminary Report (21/08/2016)". Hadashot Arkheologiyot. Israel Antiquities Authority, http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=25046&mag_id=124.</ref>