And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
Parallel translations
- WEB When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,
- BSB Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
- NKJV It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
- NASB It shall come about, when I make a cloud appear over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,
- NLT When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Whenever God brings clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear. The sign is tied to the very conditions that might cause fear.
Overview
God connects the appearance of the rainbow to the gathering of clouds, the very setting that recalls the flood. At the moment of potential dread, the sign of mercy shines forth. This pairing of cloud and bow teaches that God remembers mercy in the midst of threatened judgment, a comfort fulfilled in the gospel of grace.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 9:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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