MASON (גֹּדֵ֣ר, maker of a wall; חָרַשׁ׃֮ אֶבֶנ׃֒, graver of stone; חֹצֵ֣ב, hewer of stones; חָרַשׁ קִיר, maker of a wall). The word גֹּדֵ֣ר in 2 Kings 12:12; 22:6 refers to the skilled stonemasons working on the Temple, but it may be used also for any man building any kind of wall. In חָרַשׁ׃֮ אֶבֶנ׃֒ the emphasis is primarily upon the idea of being skilled; then stone is added to specify the medium in which the skill is expressed (2 Sam 5:11). חֹצֵ֣ב can refer to the mason who dresses stone for use in a building (1 Chron 22:2) and also to the mason who uses that dressed stone in erecting a building (2 Chron 24:12).

In ancient times the best masons were from Phoenicia (2 Sam 5:11; 1 Chron 14:1). David and Solomon used foreign artisans from that country (2 Sam 5:11; 1 Chron 22:2). Palestine abounds in limestone of a quality suitable for building material. The greatest examples of the mason’s skill were found in Jerusalem, Megiddo, and Samaria; but it is possible that they were built by Phoen. workmen. In NT times the most magnificent building made of stone was Herod’s Temple. Herod erected many magnificent public buildings in various parts of his kingdom, and even in cities outside his dominion.

The OT refers to cutting the stones in the quarry (1 Kings 5:17; 6:7), the hewing of wine vats (Isa 5:2) and of tombs in the solid rock (Isa 22:16), and the cutting and shaping of stones for various constructions (Exod 20:25; 1 Kings 5:17; Amos 5:11). Two kinds of hammers were used, a large one for quarrying (Jer 23:29) and a smaller one for dressing the stones (1 Kings 6:7). In the famous Siloam inscr. the workmen say that they used a small pickaxe for cutting out the water tunnel. A bronze relief from the time of Shalmaneser III shows Assyrian stonemasons carving the royal image with their implements. See also Architecture.