Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 8:6-8

"And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above. And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the holy place before the oracle; but they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day." — 1 Kings 8:6-8 (ASV)

And the priests brought in the ark. — It is clear from this description that the ark was placed lengthwise between the cherubim, so that the poles by which it was carried, when drawn out (though still partly attached to the ark), were seen—probably by projections visible through the veil—in the Holy Place; although, as the narrative remarks with characteristic meticulous accuracy, not without from the porch.

The reason this detail is emphasized is clear. Until now, it had been forbidden to withdraw the poles (Exodus 25:13–15), so that the ark might always be ready for transport; now their withdrawal marked the beginning of a new period, during which it was to rest unmoved.

There they are to this day. — This phrase—frequently repeated in the narrative (see 1 Kings 9:21; 1 Kings 10:12; 1 Kings 12:19, and other passages)—is an interesting indication of quotation from older documents, because at the time of the book's compilation, the Temple and all it contained had been destroyed or removed.

It is remarkable that in the record of the successive plunderings of the Temple by the Chaldeans (2 Kings 24:13; 2 Kings 25:13–17), while the various vessels, the bronze pillars, and the Sea are mentioned in detail, nothing is said of their carrying away the ark, which would have been the most prized, as it was the most sacred, of all the spoils. (See Notes on these passages.)

Regarding the Jewish tradition mentioned earlier (see Note on 1 Kings 8:4), if we set aside the supposed miracle, there is no inherent improbability, considering the respect shown to Jeremiah by the Chaldeans .