rainbow

A multicolored arc in the sky caused by refraction of sunlight through droplets of water. First mentioned in (Gen 9:12-13), the rainbow appears as a sign of God’s covenant promise not to destroy the world by flood again. (Lam 2:4 and Hab 3:9-11) speak of God’s bow as an instrument of divine wrath, its arrows (e.g., lightning, thunderbolts) released earthward. Thus, (Gen 9:12-13) suggests a spent bow, one that has been hung in the sky and is no longer aimed at the earth.