Kelly Spencer

            I am a queer, female, white, upper-middleclass pastor from South Carolina. I bring both my hope and my scars to the table as I read the Bible and practice ministry. I approach the Bible with respect and caution as a Divinely inspired collection of stories written by human hands. I understand the Bible to be a guide, imperfect as its stories may be, that is contextual and always being interpreted. The Bible is not a history book full of facts, but holds truth. I do my best to employ a hermeneutic of wrestling, of empathy, of beauty, of love, of liberation, and of radical inclusivity. It is these values that bring me to Genesis 9:8-17. This is a passage of apology, of hope, of promise. In this paper, I am going to work through the meaning of the symbol of the bow/rainbow we gain from this passage as well as the role of the context in which Genesis was written and how God works through that context. Through this work, I hope to illuminate a new and helpful perspective that uplifts queer action and queer responsibility. The rainbow is biblically seen as a promise from God that storms will not last forever. In the 18th century, Thomas Paine advocated for the rainbow flag to be the universal symbol for neutral ships at sea.[i] In 1976, as the United States was celebrating its bicentennial, Gilbert Baker introduced the rainbow flag as a symbol of empowerment for the queer community. He said, “I thought of the vertical red, white, and blue tricolor from the French Revolution and how both flags owed their beginnings to a riot, a rebellion, or revolution. I thought a gay nation should have a flag too, to proclaim its own idea of power.”[ii] This paper hopes to queer all three aspects of promise and power of the rainbow – God’s word, neutrality, and queer empowerment – for the sake of both inviting and challenging the community throughout the world to more faithful love and grace, modeled after the love and grace we all receive from Jesus Christ. The call in Genesis 9 for both God and humankind to set down their weapons is a call to queer action by setting down all violence to redeem the world.

            An important point of evaluation for this passage is the meaning of haqqeset, generally translated as ‘the rainbow.’ This word is significant because it denotes God’s sign of the covenant being made. Signs in the context of the Old Testament are “all appointed by God: it is his word or consecration of these sometimes ordinary events or customs that make them significant, pointing to his activity and purposes.”[iii] This particular instance of the rainbow stands as a sign of remembrance for God and for humanity. In comparison to other signs for other covenants where “these signs remind man of God’s presence and God-given obligations…here, most unusually, the rainbow is a sign that is seen by man but serves to remind God of his promises”[iv].

            Further, scholars debate on the choice of meaning for the word haqqeset. Everywhere else this word appears in the Hebrew Bible this word refers to a bow and arrow, a weapon of war, or battle. However, lexicons make a special note on the word’s occurrence in Genesis 9:13, 9:14, and 9:16, suggesting that it is a rainbow and not a symbol of war. This differentiation has caused a rift between scholars. On one side, some scholars present the idea of the rainbow symbolizes God’s peace. Scholars like Claus Westermann, Gordon Wenham, and Willem Henrik Gispen say that the rainbow absolutely could not represent weaponry. Westermann directly calls out the opposition saying, “the bow in the clouds at the end of the flood narrative has nothing to do with the image of God as a warrior carrying a bow”[v]. The scholars who deny the weapon imagery generally support that the rainbow itself is powerful enough to emphasize the covenant, since it demonstrates that “God’s gracious will is made visible to give mankind, terrified by the chaotic elements, renewed assurance that God will support this aeon and to guarantee the duration of his ordinances.”[vi]

            On the other hand, and potentially more accurate side for a queer perspective, some scholars propose that the historical significance of the weapon connotation of haqqeset shows that God is setting down God’s weapons to reconcile with earth after the flood. Gerhard Von Rad is among these scholars saying the weapon imagery shows “the beauty of the ancient conception…God shows the world that he has put aside his bow”[vii]. Walter Brueggemann can also be found supporting the historical weapon notion when he quotes George Mendenhall saying Mendenhall “regards [the rainbow] not only as bow as a weapon, but as an undrawn bow, that is, the creator has won his victory, over the chaos and perhaps also over his inclination to punish”[viii].

            Another important part of evaluating this passage from Genesis is evaluating its context. From a literary perspective, this story is found after the violence in the world is so much to bear that God decides to wipe it all out and start again. This section is where God is reflecting on this destruction and commits to never doing this again. Culturally, this story is written “from and reflects a world in which gender and sexuality are constructed as a hierarchical continuum.”[ix] This played out in privilege to males, to penetrating males, to fertile women, and to high class and ethnic status.[x] God’s covenant to never again destroy the earth by flood turns this cultural norm on its head, queering the very nature of privilege and power.

            Queering here refers to boundary breaking. As Lindsey Jodrey beautifully summarizes, “queer theory takes a different approach. Rather than arguing that gay, lesbian, or other identities are just as valid as ‘heterosexual’ identities, queer theory questions the validity of the identity categories themselves.”[xi] In Genesis 9, God is queering the response and use of violence, no longer leaving space for violence to be a valid response. God vows to remember that rationale in the ways God interacts with humanity, and I go so far as to say God is demanding that humans do the same by making this a covenant, a mutual agreement that requires action from both parties. In a society built on hierarchy and advantage over others, I believe there is power in reading God’s promise with the rainbow as a call, specifically to set aside all of our weapons, including weapons of privilege.

            With a history of interpretation that is seemingly passive, this queer perspective urges humanity to take responsibility. Two years ago, I wrote a paper on this same passage in an Old Testament Exegesis course. I argued that this passage was not a covenant at all, that God was simply making a one-sided promise to humanity. I found scholarship that supported my thesis and wrote for nearly 20 pages that this magical sign is a reminder for God and God alone that humans simply have the blessing to witness. The rainbow was just that, an illusion in the sky after it rains, for God to remember. I did not want to see weapon imagery and scholarship allowed me to get around that. Today, with my queer identity at the forefront of my interpretation, my reading has changed. I believe the Hebrew word, berit, is used on purpose. The passage at face value does not demand anything from humans, but a closer reading highlights that, in fact, the call for humans is the same call for God: set down your bow.

            And God said, “no longer.” No longer shall we fight. No longer shall we destroy. No longer shall we make such harsh judgments that people created in the image of God are disenfranchised, left out, or systematically oppressed. Genesis 9 presents an actionable petition for both God and humankind to set down their weapons. Particularly for the queer community, this call is vital. Violence is not an answer, a solution, or an absolution. Violence only breeds more violence. Therefore, as a minority community rising to greater and greater acknowledgement in the world, queer folkx have a responsibility. Even if their power is not yet solidified, queer folkx have a responsibility. Now is the time to set down our bows, making a statement that we will not succumb to hurtful, devastating, deathly tactics. And, God is on our side. If we start to falter in that promise or in our role in that covenant, we are reminded by the beauty of the rainbow, which just might symbolize and encapsulate God’s bow being set down in the sky after all.

            There are limits in this interpretation. The Biblical narrative that follows in 65 more books after Genesis hosts countless stories of warriors of Christ stepping up to fight the good fight. In those cases, it would seem that God is endorsing, at least on some level, picking up the bow once again. There is also the possibility that removing the rainbow imagery from this passage would be upsetting to some members of the queer community. For queer Christians who do the very hard work of holding their faith and their identities in tension, having this clear connection between God and their queerness is necessary. Haqqeset as a bow instead of the classic rainbow would take away the joy and the necessity of that relationship. There is also the possibility people simply would not believe God was promising to never again engage violence against humanity. As you look around the world, there is seemingly endless violence through war, politics, capitalism, institutions, guns, infant mortality rates, natural disasters, and so much more pain, in nearly every street in nearly every neighborhood around the world. There are certainly times for me it feels impossible to believe God is always a good God.

            So what? So, we have some things to learn. As individuals, as teachers, as leaders, as parents, as Christians, as politicians, as the Church, we have a commitment to make, belatedly. God made the promise in Genesis 9 that the Divine bow is set aside. There is no human dialogue present in this passage. So, now is the time to respond. We must work within our systems at breaking down violence, hatred, discrimination, and power. Or, we must break down our systems. Our cultural context may look different than that of Genesis on paper, but we still champion privilege, dominance, and stratification. Whether it is a bow or a rainbow, there are actionable steps to be taken to flip the world upside down, just as Christ did, for the sake of justice, mercy, and love. May we have the boldness, the heart, and the audacity to join in covenant with God to set down our bows, so that all might know the peaceful, extraordinary, life-changing redemption intended for us.

Sources

Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982.

Grovier, Kelly. “Culture - The History of the Rainbow Flag.” BBC. BBC, June 15, 2016. http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160615-the-history-of-the-rainbow-flag.

Guest, Deryn. 2006. The Queer Bible Commentary. London: SCM.

“John 1 Beyond the Binary.” In Come and Read: Interpretive Approaches to the Gospel of John. Edited by Alicia Myers and Lindsey Jodrey. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Forthcoming, 2019.

Rosenberg, Joel W. Genesis Introduction, HCSB, ed. W. A. Meeks et al. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2006.

Von Rad, Gerhard. Genesis. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1972.

Westermann, Claus. Genesis 1-11. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994.

Wenham, Gordon. World Biblical Commentary: Genesis 1-15. Waco: Word Books, 1987.

Wong, Curtis M. “The History And Meaning Of The Rainbow Pride Flag.” HuffPost. HuffPost, May 29, 2019. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rainbow-pride-flag-history_n_5b193aafe4b0599bc6e124a0.
————————

[i]Kelly Grovier, “Culture - The History of the Rainbow Flag,” BBC, (BBC, June 15, 2016).

[ii]Curtis M. Wong, “The History And Meaning Of The Rainbow Pride Flag,” HuffPost, (HuffPost, May 29, 2019).

[iii] Gordon Wenham, World Biblical Commentary: Genesis 1-15 (Waco: Word Books, 1987), 195.

[iv] Ibid.

[v] Westermann, 473.

[vi] Von Rad, 134.

[vii] Ibid.

[viii] Brueggemann, 84.

[ix] Deryn Guest, The Queer Bible Commentary, (London: SCM, 2006), 23.

[x] Ibid., 24.

[xi] Lindsey Jodrey, “John 1 Beyond the Binary.” In Come and Read: Interpretive Approaches to the Gospel of John. Edited by Alicia Myers and Lindsey Jodrey. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Forthcoming, 2019.