Mason

Masons — skilled workers in stone — played a vital role in the major building projects of ancient Israel. When David established his court in Jerusalem, Hiram king of Tyre sent masons along with cedar to build David's palace (2 Samuel 5:11). Solomon's construction of the temple required massive quarrying and dressing of stone: the text notes that Hiram's builders and Solomon's builders "hewed" (prepared) the stones, working stone so precisely that "neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was in building" (1 Kings 6:7). Stone was the primary building material for permanent structures, and skilled masons were prized craftsmen in royal employ.

The post-exilic restoration under Ezra also employed masons for the temple rebuilding (Ezra 3:7), and Nehemiah's reconstruction of Jerusalem's walls relied on organized teams of builders working under threat of attack. The New Testament uses the image of stone-building metaphorically: Jesus identifies himself as the cornerstone the builders rejected (Matthew 21:42), and Peter extends the image to believers as living stones being built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5).