History of the Rainbow in Religious Symbolism

For most cultures in the ancient world, the movement of stars and other celestial phenomena were viewed as “ heavenly writing ” (shitir shamey in Akkadian). They were signs or omens placed in the sky by the gods, which cryptically communicate the gods’ plans


In one Mesopotamian astronomical text (called Mul-Apin), the variable is the rainbow’s direction:

“If [the rainbow] is in the south: rain. If in the north: flood. If in the east: rain. If in the west: devastation.”






A scene in the Mesopotamian creation account, the Enuma Elish, may suggest that the rainbow in Genesis is also seen as a military bow. After the warrior-god Marduk uses his mighty bow and arrows to defeat the sea-monster Tiamat, the high god Anu places the bow in heaven as a bright star:

" Anu lifted it up in the divine assembly,
He kissed the bow, saying, “It is my daughter!”
With the … name, “Bow-Star,” he made it to shine in the sky,
He fixed its heavenly position along with its divine brothers "





The Bow-Star (kakkab qashti) is probably Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Like the other stars and planets – and like the rainbow – this star has various meanings as an omen. Its movement in the night sky is part of the “heavenly writing” that the omen specialists interpret. But the meaning in the Enuma Elish is clear – the star is a reminder of Marduk’s victory over Tiamat, through which he became the king of the gods. The brightest star is a celestial memorial of Marduk’s glory

Hebrew uses the word qeshet for both a bow as a weapon, used with arrows to defeat an enemy, and as a rainbow—the former meaning is primary