Royal Arch

What is the Royal Arch banner and what do its emblems mean?

Banners used in a Royal Arch Chapter derive from those traditionally associated with the twelve tribes of Israel during their wilderness encampment. While scriptural passages note that the tribes pitched by their own standards, the specific devices and colors stem from Talmudic tradition rather than the biblical text itself. English Chapters display twelve banners corresponding to all the tribes, whereas American Chapters use four banners attributed to the principal tribes of Dan, Reuben, Ephraim, and Judah.

MackeyWilmshurst