Genesis 9:13-16

Context
9:13 I will place¹ my rainbow² in the clouds, and it will become³ a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever⁴ I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you⁵ and with all living creatures of all kinds.⁶ Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy⁷ all living things.⁸ 9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember⁹ the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”

Isaiah 54:8-10

Context

54:8 In a burst¹⁰ of anger I rejected you¹¹ momentarily,

but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”

says your protector,¹² the Lord.

54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time,¹³

when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood¹⁴ would never again cover the earth.

In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship¹⁵ be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

Revelation 4:3

Context
4:3 And the one seated on it was like jasper¹⁶ and carnelian¹⁷ in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald¹⁸ encircled the throne.

Revelation 10:1

Context

The Angel with the Little Scroll

10:1 Then¹⁹ I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped²⁰ in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun and his legs were like pillars of fire.²¹

[9:13] ¹tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).

[9:13] ²sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.

[9:13] ³tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.

[9:14] ⁴tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.

[9:15] ⁵tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”

[9:15] ⁶tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:15] ⁷tn Heb “to destroy.”

[9:15] ⁸tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:16] ⁹tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”

[54:8] ¹⁰tn According to BDB 1009 s.v. שֶׁטֶף the noun שֶׁצֶף here is an alternate form of שֶׁטֶף (shetef, “flood”). Some relate the word to an alleged Akkadian cognate meaning “strength.”

[54:8] ¹¹tn Heb “I hid my face from you.”

[54:8] ¹²tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[54:9] ¹³tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “For [or “indeed”] the waters of Noah [is] this to me.” כִּי־מֵי (ki-me, “for the waters of”) should be emended to כְּמֵי (kÿmey, “like the days of”), which is supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and all the ancient versions except LXX.

[54:9] ¹⁴tn Heb “the waters of Noah” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[54:10] ¹⁵tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”

[4:3] ¹⁶tn Grk “jasper stone.”

[4:3] ¹⁷sn Carnelian was a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).

[4:3] ¹⁸tn Or “a rainbow emerald-like in appearance.”

[10:1] ¹⁹tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[10:1] ²⁰tn Or “clothed.”

[10:1] ²¹tn Or “like fiery pillars,” translating πυρός (puros) as an attributive genitive.