Binah (Understanding)

Binah is the third sephirah—“Understanding”—the Great Mother who receives the dynamic energy of Chokmah and gives it form, structure, and meaning.

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Sephiroth Details

Hebrew Name:

בִּינָה

Sephiroth Number:

3

Position:

Upper-Left

Archangel:

Tzaphkiel

Angelic Order:

Aralim

Overview / Defining This Sephiroth

Tree of Life
Binah represents divine understanding, the power of form and structure. It is the archetypal feminine principle, the womb that receives the seed of Chokmah and shapes it into ordered creation. Known as Imma (the Mother), Binah is the matrix through which the divine flows into manifestation.

As the sphere of Saturn, Binah embodies boundaries, time, and discipline. It provides structure to Chokmah’s raw creative impulse, transforming infinite potential into ordered existence. It is the foundation of law, order, and rationality.

Psychologically, Binah reflects insight, comprehension, and the ability to turn inspiration into coherent knowledge. When balanced, it grants deep wisdom and discernment. When distorted, it manifests as excessive severity, rigidity, or pessimism.

01.

Meaning of Sephiroth

Understanding

02.

Divine Name

Yahweh Elohim

03.

Symbolism & Practical Meaning

The womb, the Great Sea, the black cube, the throne of understanding.Governs order, structure, and comprehension. Represents the principle of form and discipline in both the cosmos and personal life.

04.

Paths

Receives energy from Keter above; paired with Chokmah; flows downward into Gevurah.

05.

Opposite / Balance

Chokmah—Wisdom, the dynamic masculine force that Binah receives and shapes.

06.

Associated Color

Black, dark tones

Learn More About The Tree of Life’s Sephiroth

Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will – Dion Fortune

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: מַלְכוּת (Malḵūṯ)

    Sephiroth Number: 10

    Divine Name: Adonai Melekh (“Lord who is King”) and Adonai ha‑Aretz (“Lord of the Earth”)

    Malkuth (Kingdom)

    Malkuth is the tenth sephirah—“Kingdom”—representing the physical world and the culmination of divine energy into material existence. It is the receptive sphere where spiritual energy manifests in tangible form. As the sephirah of Assiah, it corresponds to the densest of the Four Worlds in Kabbalah and functions as the gateway between the divine and the mundane.

    Path: Connected to Yesod directly above it. Also relates to the overall circuit from Kether

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: בִּינָה

    Sephiroth Number: 3

    Divine Name: Yahweh Elohim

    Binah (Understanding)

    Binah is the third sephirah—“Understanding”—the Great Mother who receives the dynamic energy of Chokmah and gives it form, structure, and meaning.

    Path: Receives energy from Keter above; paired with Chokmah; flows downward into Gevurah.

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: חָכְמָה

    Sephiroth Number: 2

    Divine Name: Yah (יה)

    Chokmah (Wisdom)

    Chokmah is the second sephirah—“Wisdom”—the primordial masculine force of creation, representing pure dynamic energy before form. It is the counterpart to Binah, which shapes and gives structure.

    Path: Receives directly from Keter; works in polarity with Binah; flows downward into Chesed.

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: גְּבוּרָה

    Sephiroth Number: 5

    Divine Name: Elohim Gibor

    Gevurah (Strength, Severity)

    Gevurah is the fifth sephirah—“Strength”—embodying divine justice, discipline, and the necessary power of limitation. It balances Chesed’s expansive mercy with restraint and judgment.

    Path: Receives energy from Binah above; balanced laterally with Chesed; flows downward into Tiphereth.

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: חֶסֶד

    Sephiroth Number: 4

    Divine Name: El

    Chesed (Mercy)

    Chesed is the fourth sephirah—“Mercy”—embodying benevolence, expansive love, and divine kindness. It is the force of generosity that flows outward from the divine.

    Path: Receives energy from Chokmah above; balanced laterally with Gevurah; flows downward into Tiphereth.

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: תִּפְאֶרֶת

    Sephiroth Number: 6

    Divine Name: YHVH Eloah ve-Daath

    Tiphereth (Beauty)

    Tiphereth is the sixth sephirah—“Beauty”—and stands at the center of the Tree of Life. It harmonizes opposing forces and radiates balance, compassion, and the integrative power of the divine.

    Path: Connects upward to Keter, Chokmah, and Binah through Daath; downward to Yesod; and laterally to Chesed (Mercy) and Gevurah (Severity).

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: הוֹד

    Sephiroth Number: 8

    Divine Name: Elohim Tzabaoth

    Hod (Splendor)

    Hod is the eighth sephirah—“Glory”—embodying intellect, communication, and structure. It balances the emotional force of Netzach with analytical clarity and disciplined thought.

    Path: Balances Netzach (opposite) and channels into Yesod. Receives energy from Gevurah and Tiphereth above.

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: נצח (Netzach)

    Sephiroth Number: 8

    Divine Name: YHVH Tzivaot

    Netzach (Victory)

    Netzach is the seventh sephirah—Victory—embodying the power of endurance, motivation, and eternal persistence. Positioned on the right pillar, it represents the active drive to manifest spiritual inspiration through passion-filled action.

    Path: Netzach receives influence from Tiphereth (beauty) and channels energy toward Yesod (foundation), balanced by Hod opposite.

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: יְסוֹד (Yesod)

    Sephiroth Number: 9

    Divine Name: Shaddai el Chai

    Yesod (Foundation)

    Yesod is the ninth sephirah, the Foundation that funnels and transmits divine energy into the material world. It balances and collects energies from above (Hod, Netzach, Tiphereth) and channels them onward into Malkuth, serving as the "engine room" of creation.

    Path: Receives from Netzach (Victory) and Hod (Splendor), from Tiphereth (Beauty), and channels into Malkuth—the final sphere of manifestation.

  • World:

    Hebrew Name: כֶּתֶר

    Sephiroth Number: 1

    Divine Name: Eheieh

    Kether (Crown)

    Keter is the first sephirah—“Crown”—the source of all creation, pure divine will and the root of emanation.

    Path: Source of emanation into Chokmah and Binah.