In Genesis, Noah waited seven days before sending the dove out again.
After the first dove flight found no resting place, Genesis says Noah waited another seven days and sent the dove out a second time. That flight produced the olive leaf, showing that the waters had receded enough for vegetation to appear.
Noah waited yet another seven days before sending the dove out a third time. The dove did not return, indicating that the earth had become habitable enough for the bird to remain outside the ark. The repeated interval is part of the narrative's carefully ordered sequence.
This detail is easily lost because popular retellings focus on the olive leaf rather than the timing. It is also distinct from the 40 days of rain and the 150 days during which the flood waters prevailed.