Texts in Conversation
Genesis and Habakkuk describe God with a bow, based on ancient Near Eastern traditions of divine combat. In Genesis, the bow is placed in the clouds after the flood, like a warrior after battle, while in Habakkuk the bow is prepared for battle. Both describe a storm deity before or after combat.
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Genesis 9:13
Hebrew Bible
11 I confirm my covenant with you: Never again will all living things be wiped out by the waters of a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the guarantee of the covenant I am making with you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all subsequent generations: 13 I will place my bow35 in the clouds, and it will become a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the bow35 appears in the clouds, 15 then I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures of all kinds. Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy all living things.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Habakkuk 3:9
Hebrew Bible
8 Was the Lord mad at the rivers? Were you angry with the rivers? Were you enraged at the sea? Such that you would climb into your horse-drawn chariots, your victorious chariots? 9 Your bow is ready for action; you commission your arrows. Selah. You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface. 10 When the mountains see you, they shake. The torrential downpour sweeps through. The great deep shouts out; it lifts its hands high. 11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses; the flash of your arrows drives them away, the bright light of your lightning-quick spear.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... the image of Yahweh in Habakkuk 3 may be compared with 'an image of Assur, raising his bow, riding in his chariot a-bu-bu [ִsa]-an-du girt with the Deluge' as described in the Annals of Sennacherib. Habakkuk also, in depicting his God, uses here a metaphor based on a normal practice of a human king in war time. In the light of the above discussion, the term mִtwt probably means Yahweh's 'majestic mace' which is paired with his 'bow' ... (Genesis 9:13, 9:16) ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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