Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen I say to you: It was not Moses that granted the bread from heaven to you, but my Father granted bread, a RAINBOW-SIGN to you from heaven.” (John 6:32, ARTB)

A note from A. Frances Werner:

There is a very interesting word in Aramaic that is a little different from Greek in the New Testament.  This passage gives us a glimpse into this word, RAINBOW-SIGN, that is related to the same rainbow that Noah saw.  It's a sign of a new covenant and a new creation.

We all know about the word BOW or RAINBOW that appears in the story of Noah, described in Genesis 9.  And you may be aware of the references to the RAINBOW which appear in descriptions of heaven in Revelation (4:3 and 10:1). But there is NOTHING else about rainbows in the Old or New Testament.  Or is there? 

In most bibles, the word in John 6:32 is rendered TRUE.  This is a very reasonable choice, because in Greek, the root word ALTHENOS⁽¹⁾ and its related words (Greek Strong's numbers 225-228) are usually translated TRUE or TRUTH.  In fact, most of the time, the Aramaic manuscript uses the word ShRYR, with is rendered as TRUE or TRUTH in the ARTB New Testament.  But there are 31 cases in Aramaic where a different word is used, QWST, which is related to the Hebrew word for BOW and RAINBOW (QST, Strong's number 7198).  Is there something we can learn from Aramaic?

I love seeing rainbows, and get excited every time one appears. When we see one, they demand our attention and bring us joy and wonder. And we all are compelled to point it out in its undeniable beauty to those around us.  The bread from heaven was a sign of the new covenant given to Moses, a compelling, undeniable sign that was visible to all around.  It wasn't exactly a RAINBOW, but a type of dramatic RAINBOW-SIGN in the same way it was for Noah.

Christians believe that the new covenant brought by Jesus (Yeshua) also ushered in a NEW CREATION.  Thus, the time of Jesus, like Noah, was a time of a RAINBOW-SIGN from heaven.  This type of rainbow-sign was "seen" by many, bringing joy and wonder.  And those who saw it were compelled to point it out in its undeniable beauty to those around.  Take a look at Colossians 1:5,6 in the ARTB:

Because-of the hope that is kept for you in heaven, that you have heard from earlier by the word that brought-the-news of the RAINBOW-SIGN. It-was also heralded to you just-like to all the world, and also grows and grants fruit in you, since from the day that you heard, you recognized the grace of God in the RAINBOW-SIGN. (Col.1:5,6 ARTB)

I can well imagine that Yahweh had intended to wrap the earthly Jerusalem in a RAINBOW, had the early Israelites followed through and fully conquered the land and established a new creation. The heavenly Jerusalem certainly has the RAINBOW of the new covenant and new creation. Throughout the Aramaic New Testament, there are other comparisons between Jesus (Yeshua) and Noah. Recognizing that Jesus (Yeshua) brought the RAINBOW-SIGN and is himself a reflection of perfect light (which contains the rainbow of colors) is a wonderful new insight.  More next week.  Blessings!

⁽¹⁾The Greek word ATHENOS also contains this concept of an undeniable sign.  The word ALTHEA means WHITE.  It appears to me that the concept of TRUTH in Greek is having a "flash" of bright light, an obvious contrast of dazzling white to see the undeniable TRUTH.