bow

In the book of Genesis 9:8–15 (NABRE), God makes a covenant with Noah that he never again will seek to destroy humanity and all other creatures by means of flood—perhaps not the most comforting of promises considering how many other options God has available. As a sign of this covenant, God sets his bow in the sky in the form we now know as a rainbow.

The bow portion of this term from the Hebrew קֶשֶׁת (qeset) means “bow” in the sense of archery. A rainbow, then, is an inherently violent thing since the underlying imagery is that of a weapon—though the rainbow in the sky serves as a signal that God has put down his arms and made peace.This is an especially interesting concept as there are a few other places in the Bible where God is described as having taken up his bow, most notably in the book of Revelation 6:2 (NABRE).

Considering the context behind God putting down his bow in the book of Genesis, what do you think it means for humanity and the world when God chooses to take it back up again at the end of time?

you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.

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