According to Genesis, Noah first received an olive leaf after the Flood as evidence that land was reappearing.
Genesis 8:11 says that a dove returned to Noah in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf. Noah understood this as a sign that the waters had receded from the earth. The passage comes after Noah had first sent out a raven and then released a dove.
The olive leaf is different from the later dove release. On a subsequent release, the dove did not return, showing that it had found a place to rest. The leaf therefore serves as the narrative’s first visible indication that vegetation and exposed ground were returning.
The image became widely recognized as a symbol of peace and hope, especially when paired with a dove. That modern symbolism is broader than the Genesis episode itself, where the leaf functions specifically as evidence of receding waters and renewed life.