Bible Questions and Answers

A visitor writes,

"Rainbow"

It seems that prior to the flood in Noah’s day it did not rain.

We are told that the earth was watered by a mist that arose from the ground.

Genesis 2:4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6  but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

In Noah’s day God caused it to rain for 40 days to destroy all living creatures on the earth except for those with Noah in the Ark.

Genesis 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12  So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14  "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.

Genesis 7:1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. 2  "You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3  "also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. 4  "For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made."

Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12  And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

After the flood, rain became the means of watering the earth. 

A rainbow is a natural consequence of light passing through water vapour being split into different colours.

The rainbow serves as the sign of God’s Covenant that there will never be another total destruction of mankind by a flood.

Genesis 9:12 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: 13  "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14  "It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15  "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. 16  "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." 17  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."

I hope this helps.

God bless,

Glenn