ARTIFICER (חָרָשׁ, H3093; Gr. τεχνίτης, G5493, artisan, designer). Refers to the expert craftsman in any of the major mediums of art, such as stone, wood, metals, gems, or clay (Isa 3:3; Rev 18:22). According to the Biblical record, Tubalcain was the first of this guild (Gen 4:22). Jewelers and metal workers of various skills worked on the furnishings of the Temple (1 Chron 29:5) and were sufficiently numerous to occupy a section of the city of Jerusalem (1 Chron 4:14; Neh 11:35). Masons and carpenters were employed in the restoration of the Temple under Josiah (2 Chron 34:11). Silversmiths and goldsmiths found making idols a profitable business (Hos 11:2; Acts 19:24, 38), though it was forbidden under the Mosaic law (Deut 27:15). The artificers and craftsmen formed an important segment of the middle class in Heb. society who were deported to Babylon at the time of the Exile.