Tektōn

The Ancient Greek noun tektōn (τέκτων) is a common term for an artisan/craftsman, in particular a carpenter, woodworker, or builder.

The term is frequently contrasted with an ironworker, or smith (χαλκεύς) and stone-worker or mason (λιθολόγος, λαξευτής).

[1] Tektōn (τέκτων) is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *tetḱ-, which means "to carve, to chisel, to mold."

[3] The characteristic Ancient Greek distinction between the general worker or wood-worker and the stonemason and the metal-worker occurs frequently in the Septuagint:[citation needed] So the carpenter (tektōn) encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, ...The distinction occurs in lists of workmen working on building or repairs to the temple in Jerusalem, for example in the repairs carried out under the priest Jehoiada and "the carpenters[5] and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD,... And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD", in 2 Kings 12:11–12.

[9] Is not this the carpenter (ho tektōn) the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?

[9] In his 2021 Neotestamentica article, Matthew K. Robinson argues that, due to its vagueness (particularly in light of influence from the LXX), tektōn in Mark 6:3 should be translated according to contextual clues.

Referencing ancient literature and recent archeological evidence, Robinson posits that the best translation for tektōn is "builder-craftsman.

"[16]However, the Greek term tektōn does not carry this meaning, and the nearest equivalent in the New Testament is Paul's comparison to Timothy of a "workman" (ἐργάτης, ergatēs) rightly "dividing" the word of truth.