In the Genesis flood story, what was Noah’s first recorded action after leaving the Ark?

In the Genesis flood story, Noah’s first recorded action after leaving the Ark was building an altar.

Genesis 8:20 says Noah built an altar to the Lord after the occupants and animals came out of the ark. He then took some clean animals and clean birds and offered burnt offerings on it. The passage places worship immediately after the Flood narrative’s survival and disembarkation scenes.

This altar is significant because it precedes the covenant described in the following chapter. The story moves from rescue, to sacrifice, to a divine promise concerning future floods. The text does not say that Noah’s first action was planting crops, constructing a settlement, or releasing animals; those are common imaginative additions or later associations.

Genesis later describes Noah planting a vineyard, but that event comes after the altar episode. Keeping the sequence straight makes the altar the canonical answer.