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RAINBOW
Sign of God’s covenant with Noah following the flood (Gn 9:8-17). The normal Hebrew word for “war bow” is used. Jewish tradition interpreted this as a symbol that God’s anger had ceased since the rainbow pointed downward, just as an antagonist lowers his bow to declare peace. In the NT, the rainbow forms part of the heavenly vision (Rv 4:3; 10:1).
See also Flood, The.
Rabbis’ View of a Rainbow
To the biblical account, the rabbis added the notion that the rainbow was created at evening on the sixth day of Creation, and that it did not appear during the lifetime of a saint whose good life was sufficient to preserve the world from destruction. To gaze directly at a rainbow risked injury, since the bow was a reflection of the glory of the Lord. A prescribed blessing was to be recited on seeing a rainbow: “Blessed are Thou O Lord our God, King of the universe, who remembers the covenant, is faithful to the covenant, and keeps His promise.”