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Rainbows in the Bible

Rainbows are caused by the reflection and refraction of the rays of the sun shining on falling rain.

They were appointed by God as a witness of His divine faithfulness.

Then God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am giving to be between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I put My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.

And it will be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.

So the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” —Genesis 9:12-17 LSB

It was not until after the Flood that animals became wary and even terrified of humans. At the unveiling of the rainbow, God put the fear and dread of man into the programmed instincts of animals (Genesis 9:2-3). The reasonable assumption is that they were originally created friendly and trusting of man.

Rainbows are referred to three other times in Scripture.

As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. —Ezekiel 1:28 NASB

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said,

“Come up here, and I [John] will show you what must take place after these things.”

Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. —Revelation 4:1-3 NASB

I [John] saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; —Revelation 10:1

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Article Version: March 28, 2024