2 Kings 24:13

And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, &c.— Nebuchadnezzar carried away the treasures and rich furniture of the temple at three different times: First, In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim when he first took Jerusalem, he carried half of the vessels of the house of God away into the land of Shinar, and put them into the house of his god, Daniel 1:2. These were the vessels which his son Belshazzar profaned, Daniel 5:2 and which Cyrus restored to the Jews, Ezra 1:7 to be set up in the temple again when rebuilt. Secondly, In the reign of Jehoiachin he took the city again, and cut in pieces a great part of the vessels of gold which Solomon had made, and which by some means or other had escaped his former plunder. Thirdly, In the eleventh year of Zedekiah he pillaged the temple once more, when he broke in pieces the pillars of brass, &c. and took along with them all the vessels of silver and gold which he could find, and carried them to Babylon. See the next chapter, 2 Kings 24:13, &c. It is something strange, that, among all this inventory, no mention is made of the ark of the covenant, which, of all other things, was held most sacred. But it is very probable, that it was burned together with the temple in the last desolation; for, what some say, of its being hidden by the prophet Jeremiah in a certain cave in mount Nebo, is a mere fable. See Calmet.