The War Bow

In Biblical Hebrew, the word for rainbow translates to "war bow" (like an archer's bow). By pointing the bow upward, away from the earth, it signifies the end of God's wrath and a peaceful covenant with humanity

Genesis 9:12-15

“This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh (NKJV).”

The rainbow was also a sign of hope to Noah and his family. Imagine what a dreadful thing they had experienced. Tossed around in a raging storm with no control over the ship they dwelt in and knowing that every person and animal outside was dying as the rain flooded the earth.

You can be obedient to God’s voice and still grieve the loss around you. You can be obedient to it and still have moments of uncertainty of your surroundings. Imagine stepping out into the daylight for the first time in just over a year and seeing the sky emblazoned with a rainbow. This hadn’t been a pleasure cruise. They were bounced around in a sea of violent water accompanied by a raging storm. History indicates that there was only one window in the top of the ark. They spent a year having none of the visual reference we have generally. They couldn’t look out and watch the storm they were enclosed and solely dependent on God.

The rainbow was a sign that as they emerged from the ark God was showing them a way forward away from all they had experienced.

God tells us in John 16:33 that in this world we will have trouble but He also says to take heart for He has overcome the world. He not only sealed them in the ark but He made the journey through the floodwaters with them and painted the rainbow as His covenant promise to go forward with them. He will do this with your struggles too.

In the New Testament, the rainbow takes on an even more majestic meaning. In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John describes a radiant, 360-degree rainbow encircling the throne of God. It represents the glory, holiness, and majesty of the Creator. It is also an eternal symbol of His covenant with man. Because of this covenant He sent His son to provide a way forward just like He placed the rainbow (war bow) in the sky for Noah.