What Does the Bible Say About the Rainbow?

What's the significance of the rainbow?

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While the rainbow has been highjacked by the LGBTQ movement today to represent their “pride,” what the rainbow actually means is found in the Bible.

The word “rainbow” appears only six times in the Bible. Each time the “rainbow” appears in the Bible, it sheds a little bit more light on the Most High God.

Here are the six times the word “rainbow” appears in the Bible.

The Rainbow is a Sign of God’s Covenant.

After the flood waters had receded, God spoke to Noah.

And God said: “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. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-17)

God refers to the rainbow as “My rainbow” and says it serves as a sign of the covenant between Him and the earth.

What covenant is God referring to? That “waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh” (Genesis 9:15).

Every time a rainbow appears, it shines as a reminder of “Noah’s Flood” and how God promised never to destroy things like that again. It is a grim reminder of sin’s consequences (Genesis 6:11-13). But it also reminds us of God’s grace (Genesis 6:8) and faithfulness (Genesis 8:1).

The Rainbow Represents the Glory of the Lord.

Ezekiel saw “visions of God,” and what he saw is amazing to consider.

And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. (Ezekiel 1:26-28)

Ezekiel sees a vision of God’s throne, and it’s compared to the brilliance of precious stones along with fire, which is compared to when a rainbow appears in a cloud on a rainy day. The fire went all around like a rainbow.

Ezekiel says, “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” It wasn’t the actual glory of the Lord since it was a vision - but “the appearance of the likeness” of it.

John mentions the rainbow twice in Revelation - both times are connected to the glory of God and the heavenly hosts.

Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. (Revelation 4:2-3)

I  saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. (Revelation 10:1)

Like Ezekiel, John saw the throne of God and used the rainbow to illustrate the brightness and magnificence of God’s glory. Even when a “mighty angel” descends from heaven, the angel is described in a “bright” way - clothed with a cloud, a rainbow on his head, face like the sun, and feet like pillars of fire.

There’s no mistaking the fact that the rainbow is compared and connected to the Lord’s glory. When you see a rainbow, you see a much less magnificent illustration of the Lord’s glory.

Think of how rainbows are admired for their beauty and brightness - how wonderful and amazing the glory of God must be!

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I had never considered all the places in the Bible where the rainbow is mentioned.

We are given a beautiful picture of God’s faithfulness to His promises and the brightness of His glory through the rainbow.

The Bible teaches us that the rainbow should remind us of God and who He is.