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.
Sephiroth Details
Hebrew Name:
גְּבוּרָה
Sephiroth Number:
5
Position:
Upper-Left
Archangel:
Kamael
Angelic Order:
Seraphim
Overview / Defining This Sephiroth
Gevurah represents the force of divine judgment, limitation, and discipline. Where Chesed expands outward in generosity, Gevurah applies boundaries to prevent excess. It is the left arm of the symbolic Tree of Life, embodying the active strength required to bring order and justice.
Associated with Mars, Gevurah symbolizes courage, severity, and righteous strength. It is the principle of restraint—protective in balance, but destructive when unbalanced. In human psychology, Gevurah reflects the ability to exercise discipline, set limits, and channel strength with integrity.
Without Chesed, Gevurah becomes cruelty or harsh judgment. Without Gevurah, Chesed becomes indulgence or weakness. Together, the two form a dynamic pair that ensures both mercy and justice operate in harmony, finding resolution in Tiphereth.
01.
Meaning of Sephiroth
Strength, Severity, Power, Judgment
02.
Divine Name
Elohim Gibor
03.
Symbolism & Practical Meaning
Represented by the left arm, the sword, and scales of justice. Also associated with fire, severity, and the martial force of divine protection. Governs discipline, strength, and boundaries. Represents the courage to uphold truth and justice, even when difficult.
04.
Paths
Receives energy from Binah above; balanced laterally with Chesed; flows downward into Tiphereth.
05.
Opposite / Balance
Chesed—mercy and loving-kindness, which counterbalance Gevurah’s judgment and severity.
06.
Associated Color
Red, Scarlet
Learn More About The Tree of Life’s Sephiroth
Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will – Dion Fortune
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World: Assiah
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
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World: Beriah
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.
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World: Atziluth
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.
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World: Beriah
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.
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World: Atziluth
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.
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World: Briah
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).
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World: Assiah
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.
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World: Yetzirah
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.
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World: Assiah
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.
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World: Atziluth
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.