Genesis 9:14
in Genesis 9Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud,
KJV
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
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This verse in Genesis 9
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Whenever I form clouds over the earth
on Genesis 9:14-17
God says twice that He will see the rainbow and remember the covenant, at verse 15 and verse 16. The keeping of it rests on the one who made it, and the sign is set to appear when the clouds gather, the hour the old fear would come back. Verse 16 calls it the everlasting covenant.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
I will place my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth; and when I cover the sky with clouds, my bow will appear, and I will remember my covenant with you and with every …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
MY BOW. Behold, I now set a bow in the clouds. Saadiah Gaon’s interpretation that the rainbow was previously in existence is incorrect.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֕ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בְּעַֽנְנִ֥י | beani | when bring cloud I | H6049 → | |
| עָנָ֖ן | ʾanan | cloud | H6051 → | 87 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאָ֑רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וְנִרְאֲתָ֥ה | veniratah | and it will be seen | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| הַקֶּ֖שֶׁת | hakeshet | the bow | H7198 → | 76 times |
| בֶּעָנָֽן׃ | beanan | in the cloud[s] | H6051 → | 87 times |
וְהָיָ֕הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
בְּעַֽנְנִ֥יwhen bring cloud I
beaniH6049 →
עָנָ֖ןcloud
ʾananH6051 →87 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הָאָ֑רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
וְנִרְאֲתָ֥הand it will be seen
veniratahH7200 →1300 times
הַקֶּ֖שֶׁתthe bow
hakeshetH7198 →76 times
בֶּעָנָֽן׃in the cloud[s]
beananH6051 →87 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies6
About Genesis
This page draws on Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.