How Long Was the Ark of the Covenant at Abinadab’s House?

Was it twenty years, or more than forty years?

This question has often puzzled Bible readers because, at first glance, Scripture seems to give two different timelines.

• 1 Samuel 7:1–2 says the ark was at Abinadab’s house for twenty years.

• Yet, other passages suggest a much longer period:

  • Saul became king after the ark was taken to Abinadab’s house (1 Samuel 10:24).

  • Saul reigned for forty years (Acts 13:21).

  • David, who succeeded Saul, later moved the ark from Abinadab’s house (2 Samuel 6:2–3).

This appears to mean the ark remained there for at least forty years—not just twenty. Is this a contradiction?

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The Key to the “Twenty Years”

The phrase in 1 Samuel 7:2 is the key:

“It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD.”

If we assume this means the ark was removed after twenty years, we would indeed have a contradiction. But the text never says the ark was moved at that time. Instead, it simply marks a time reference—that at that point, the ark had already been there for twenty years.

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Reading the Context (1 Samuel 7:1–3)

1. Verse 1 – The ark is placed at Abinadab’s house.

2. Verse 2 – A span of twenty years passes while the ark remains there, and Israel laments before the Lord.

3. Verse 3 – Samuel calls the people to repentance and to put away their idols.

The “twenty years” is not the total stay of the ark, but the time leading up to Samuel’s national call to repentance.

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What Happened Afterward?

• The ark remained at Abinadab’s house long after the twenty years.

• During Saul’s entire reign of forty years, the ark was still there.

• Only in David’s reign was the ark finally moved from Abinadab’s house (2 Samuel 6:2–3).

So in reality, the ark stayed there for about sixty years—covering the later years of Samuel, the full reign of Saul, and into David’s reign.

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Conclusion

There is no contradiction in the biblical record.

• 1 Samuel 7:2 refers only to a twenty-year span before Samuel’s prophetic call.

• The ark itself remained at Abinadab’s house for much longer, until David brought it to Jerusalem.

This is a reminder that careful reading of context resolves what may seem like contradictions.