It is right to study the Old Testament with an eye toward its art and its artists. These sacred texts preserve an abundant history of makers: object builders and craftspeople, metalworkers and weavers, engravers and stonecutters, poets, singers, dancers, musicians, and designers of sacred space. From the beginning, the Lord not only speaks to prophets—He calls artists. Moses teaches the children of Israel that the Lord fills certain individuals “with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,” placing skill and imagination in their hearts for His holy purposes (see Exodus 35:30–36:1).

We meet David, remembered for slaying Goliath, but also for calming kings with his harp and composing psalms of praise and lament. Solomon is not only a ruler, but a poet and collector of songs and proverbs. Miriam, the prophetess, leads the women of Israel in song and dance after crossing the Red Sea. Deborah, a judge and prophetess, gives us one of the oldest poetic songs in scripture. We encounter architects and artisans of the tabernacle and the temple, whose careful labor shaped Israel’s worship. And we encounter objects that still stir the imagination: a coat of many colors, staffs and idols, instruments and altars, the Ark of the Covenant itself.