Is Mary the Ark of the Covenant in Psalm 132:8?

Is Mary the Ark of the Covenant in Psalm 132:8?  No.

Psalm 132 states:

[[A Song of degrees.]]

1 LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:

2 How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;

3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;

4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,

5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

6 Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.

7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.

8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.

9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

10 For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.

11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.

12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.

13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.

14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.

16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.

18 His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.

The primary reference of Psalm 132 is historical and refers to Solomon’s installation of the ark in the temple he built for God in Jerusalem.  In other words, the ark of Psalm 132:8 is the actual ark.

Literarily, the ark is the seat or throne of God, a place of special, localized presence of God.

Poetically, the ark is presented as being in poetic parallel with God’s footstool.  The place of God's rest is God's house or "tabernacles" (an old word for tents).  Thus, "into your rest, you and your ark" is parallel to "into his tabernacles ... at his footstool." 

Prophetically and Messianically, it may well be seen of the throne of Christ.  For example, Jesus is of the fruit of David's body.  It is he that sits on the throne of David.  So, prophetically and messianically, the ark points us toward the throne of God in heaven.  His enemies being clothed with shame refers to the judgment of the wicked, after his exaltation.

While it is true that the flesh of Christ in some sense encloses the divinity of Christ, and while I agree that the church accompanies Christ to heaven, I don't believe that those are the things symbolized here, to the extent that we should find these statements symbolic/typological.

There are important "traditional" view of this text as follows: (1) the ark is the literal ark, (2) the Ark is Christ or Christ's flesh, and (3) the Ark is the Church.  You will notice I have omitted Mary from the list.  It's not that she's never called this (John Damascene would be an example), but rather that the relative traditional support for such a view is weak, particularly when one focuses on commentaries on the Psalms as distinct from encomiums about Mary, where anything goes.   

For the Biblical demonstration of the footstool/ark connection and for the Biblical demonstration that the ark is the special place of God's presence.  Below that is a listing of the traditional support for various of the traditional positions.

The same thing is shown from various passages:

1 Chronicles 28:2 Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:

Psalm 99 The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy. The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy. Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them. Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions. Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Isaiah 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Indeed, God is frequently described as dwelling “between the cherubim”

1 Samuel 4:4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

2 Samuel 6:2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

2 Kings 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

1 Chronicles 13:6 And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it.

Psalm 80:1 [[To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph.]] Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Psalm 99 above

Isaiah 37:16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

See also Ezekiel 10

The area between the cherubim on the top of the ark was called the mercy seat, and was the place from which God spoke to Moses:

Exodus 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Numbers 7:89 And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.

In fairness, the term "mercy seat" in English is not a literal rendering of the Hebrew word.  It is, however, the word used because of the throne-like nature of this piece of the ark.

Summary of the Traditional Views that do not see the Ark as Mary:

• Ark is just the Ark
• Theodoret (d. 457) takes it literally.
• John Chrysostom (second link) (d. 407) takes it literally.
• Ark is Christ
• Hippolytus (d. 235) took the ark as the body of Christ.
• Origen (d. 253) (in Fragments) took the ark as Christ.
• Ark is the Church
• Hilary of Poitiers (d. 367) takes the ark as the church.
• Augustine (d. 430) takes it as the Church.
• Prosper of Aquitaine (d. 455) takes the ark as the Church.
• Primasius (d. 560) takes it as the Church.
• Cassidorus (d. 585) takes it as the Church.
• Bruno of Asti (d. 1123) takes the ark as the Church.
• Gerhoh of Reichsersberg (d. 1169) takes it as the Church.
• Albert the Great (d. 1280) or Adenulf of Anangni (d. 1289) took it as the Church.
• Richard Rolle (d. 1349) takes it as the Church.

So, in summary, no. The strongest western tradition (particularly among commentators) is that it is the Church, some fathers wisely took it literally, and some early fathers said the ark was Christ or his body.