And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary; but they were not seen from outside. And they are there to this day — The ark's poles, extended forward through the veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies, were visible to priests in the outer sanctuary (הַקֹּדֶשׁ) but not to the general populace. The phrase 'to this day' (עַד־הַיּוֹם־הַזֶּה) posited a perspective from some point in the temple's functioning existence: the ark remained in place, permanently installed. The visible poles symbolized the ark's presence while remaining inaccessible; they marked the threshold between permitted and forbidden space. This detail, preserved in the Chronicler's account, suggests memory of the temple's actual architecture before its destruction.

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