Explore articles about sacred seals, Kabbalistic traditions, and the rich history behind our faith-based jewelry and collectibles.

Introduction

Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions all preserve legends about King Solomon and his command over spirits. According to the late Roman or early Byzantine pseudepigraph known as the Testament of Solomon, the king received a ring engraved with a pentalpha (a five‑pointed star) from the archangel Michael. The ring allowed him to control demons and force them to build the Temple in Jerusalem. Medieval magical texts developed this legend into a system of Seals of Solomon-geometric designs, pentagrams and hexagrams inscribed with angelic names, Hebrew letters and verses-that were believed to command spiritual forces. These seals, together with the Key of Solomon grimoire and the 72 Names of God from Kabbalah, form a rich tapestry of esoteric tradition.

This article traces the origins and meanings of these interrelated subjects. It outlines the myth of Solomon’s ring, explores the Key of Solomon and its planetary pentacles, explains how Kabbalists derive the 72 Names of God from a biblical passage, and introduces the Tree of Life and the Sephirot.

The Legend of King Solomon’s Seal

The Testament of Solomon recounts that, while the Temple was being built, a demon named Ornias plagued a young workman by stealing his wages and sucking his thumb. King Solomon prayed for help, and the archangel Michael gave him a ring with a seal engraved on it. The angel told him: “Take, O Solomon, king … the gift which the Lord God has sent thee … With it thou shalt lock up all demons of the earth; and with their help thou shalt build up Jerusalem”. Solomon lent the ring to the boy, who threw it at the demon’s chest and summoned him before the king. With the demon now bound by the seal, Solomon commanded him to fetch the prince of demons and enlist the spirits to cut stones for the Temple. This story popularized the idea of a Seal of Solomon-a signet ring that could control spirits.

Later Jewish and Islamic folklore portrayed the seal as a six‑pointed hexagram or as a five‑pointed pentagram. The Rosen School of Hebrew notes that the “Seal of Solomon” is a predecessor to the Star of David and was legendary in medieval mystical arts. It appears in Jewish, Christian and Islamic sources and was believed to grant Solomon power over supernatural beings and animals. The seal is sometimes depicted as a pentagram surrounded by a border of names; other times it is a three‑dimensional hexagram with interwoven triangles. Josephus, the first‑century Jewish historian, even recorded a tradition that Solomon’s seal could be used in exorcisms.

The Key of Solomon and its Pentacles

The Key of Solomon (Clavicula Salomonis) is a Latin grimoire compiled between the 14th and 15th centuries, long after the historical Solomon lived. The Masonic Philosophical Society explains that the text synthesizes alchemy, Judeo‑Christian symbols and medieval magical theory; it presents Solomon as a learned magus rather than a biblical king and uses the idea of a “key” to symbolize unlocking hidden wisdom. Manuscript copies proliferated in the 16th–18th centuries, and the work influenced later ceremonial magic.

One of the most distinctive features of the Key is its pentacles-circular designs consecrated to the seven classical planets. The “Order of the Pentacles” lists seven pentacles for Saturn (color black), seven for Jupiter (blue), seven for Mars (red), six for the Sun (yellow), five for Venus (green), five for Mercury (mixed colors) and six for the Moon (silver). Each pentacle combines geometric figures with divine names and psalms and is said to perform a specific function. Examples from the Mathers translation illustrate their variety:

• First pentacle of Saturn: The text says this pentacle “strik[es] terror into the spirits” so that they kneel and obey. The editor notes that the square inside contains four divine names-IHVH, ADNI, IIAI and AHIH-and the surrounding verse is from Psalm 72:9.
• Second pentacle of Saturn: Used “against adversities” and to repress the pride of spirits, it contains the famous SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS acrostic. The surrounding versicle from Psalm 72:8 matches the 25 letters of the square.
• Fourth pentacle of Saturn: This serves “for executing all the experiments and operations of ruin, destruction, and death,” according to the description. The Hebrew words around its triangle come from Deuteronomy 6:4 and Psalm 109:18.
• First pentacle of Jupiter: Used to invoke Jupiter’s spirits, including Parasiel (master of treasures), it is composed of mystical characters of Jupiter and the names of the angels Netoniel, Devachiah, Tzedeqiah and Parasiel.
• Second pentacle of Jupiter: Said to bring glory, honors and riches, this pentacle combines the names AHIH, AB and IHVH and surrounds them with a verse from Psalm 112:3 about wealth and righteousness.

The pentacles demonstrate how medieval magicians blended astrology, Hebrew letters, angelic names and psalms. These designs were meant as talismans for specific aims (protection, wealth, visions, etc.) and illustrate the fusion of Kabbalistic ideas with European occultism.

The 72 Names of God in Kabbalah

In Jewish mysticism, the 72 Names of God (Hebrew: Shem Ha‑Mephorash) are not names in the usual sense but seventy‑two three‑letter combinations derived from a biblical passage. Chabad scholar Moshe Yakob Wisnefsky explains that three consecutive verses describing the parting of the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 14:19‑21) each contain exactly seventy‑two Hebrew letters. When the letters of the first verse are written in their normal order, the letters of the second verse are written in reverse order, and the letters of the third verse are written normally again, the columns align to form seventy‑two triplets. The Zohar teaches that these verses correspond to the divine attributes of chesed (loving‑kindness), gevurah (severity) and tiferet (beauty), and that their harmonious blending reveals how God relates to the world. The resulting array of seventy‑two letter triplets is called the 72 Names of God.

Another summary notes that the first verse (Ex. 14:19) is written forward because it represents divine mercy, the second verse is written backward because it embodies severity, and the third verse returns to a forward direction as a balanced revelation of goodness. These three lines align with the three columns of the Tree of Life-the right pillar of mercy, the left pillar of judgment and the central pillar of balance. Kabbalists meditate on the resulting triplets as “spiritual tuning forks” that connect the individual to divine frequencies. Because each Hebrew letter has numerical and symbolic meaning, practitioners contemplate the letters’ combinations to gain insight and access spiritual energies.

Significance and Use

The 72 Names are used as tools for meditation, visualization and prayer. The Kabbalah Centre explains that they are sequences of Hebrew letters discovered in the Zohar and that each triplet functions like a tuning fork for the soul. By focusing on the letters, a person aims to transcend ordinary consciousness and attune to divine attributes. A study guide from the CJCCF notes that these names can be used for four purposes: self‑purification (exorcising egoism), restoration to the divine path, revelation of God’s will and performing miracles through righteous action. Modern practitioners sometimes wear the triplets as amulets or inscribe them on objects for protection, prosperity or healing. Because the practice emphasizes the energy of the letters rather than pronunciation, the 72 Names bridge Kabbalistic mysticism and popular spirituality.

The Tree of Life and the Sephirot

The Tree of Life (Hebrew: Etz Chaim) is the primary symbol of Kabbalah. It depicts ten sephirot (emanations or attributes) arranged in three pillars. Each sefirah is a spiritual “light,” a channel through which the infinite Creator (Ein Sof) manifests in the world. The diagram links the transcendence of the divine above with the finite creation below. Brief descriptions of the sephirot help illuminate their meanings:

The Tree’s three pillars are known as the right pillar of expansion, the left pillar of constriction and the middle pillar of balance. These correspond to the qualities of Chesed (mercy), Gevurah (judgment) and Tiferet (compassion). The arrangement mirrors the organization of the 72 Names of God and emphasizes that divine energy flows through balanced opposites. Together, the sephirot and the 72 Names provide a map for spiritual ascent and ethical behavior.

Interconnections and Cultural Influences

The myths and practices surrounding Solomon’s seals, the Key of Solomon and the 72 Names of God are deeply intertwined. Scholars note that the Key of Solomon adapts Jewish mystical motifs-angelic names, Hebrew letters and psalms-into a medieval ceremonial magic system. The 44 pentacles (with seven planetary sets) often invoke biblical verses and angelic names just as the 72 Names draw on Exodus. Many seals depict hexagrams or pentagrams reminiscent of Solomon’s mythical ring, merging the legends of the ring with the grimoire’s talismans.

These traditions also crossed religious boundaries. Muslim folklore calls the hexagram “Solomon’s seal,” and medieval Islamic talismans bear similar designs. Christian occultists during the Renaissance and Enlightenment studied the Key of Solomon and integrated its pentacles into ceremonial magic. In Kabbalah, the 72 Names became part of meditative practices and later inspired devotional art, music and New Age spirituality. Modern interpreters stress that the names and seals are not mere magic tricks; they symbolize ethical refinement, alignment with divine will and reverence for sacred texts.

Conclusion

From the story of a demon‑binding ring to elaborate planetary pentacles and mystic letter combinations, the seals of Solomon, the Key of Solomon and the 72 Names of God represent a continuum of spiritual expression. The legend of Solomon’s seal portrays wisdom harnessed through humility: the king submits to divine instruction and gains authority over chaotic forces. The Key of Solomon turns this myth into a manual of sacred geometry, where circles, stars and Hebrew names channel cosmic energies. Kabbalah, in turn, reveals the mystical underpinnings of scripture-arranging the letters of Exodus into seventy‑two spiritual gateways and mapping creation through the Tree of Life. Together these traditions offer seekers a way to contemplate the unity of mercy and judgment, power and humility, form and spirit. Whether approached historically, symbolically or devotionally, they invite deeper engagement with the rich heritage of Jewish mysticism and its echoes throughout world culture.