What does Genesis call the sign of God’s covenant with Noah?

Genesis calls a rainbow the sign of God’s covenant with Noah.

After the flood, Genesis 9 describes a covenant between God, Noah, his descendants, and every living creature. The rainbow appears in the clouds as the appointed sign of that covenant. The passage says that when God sees the bow, the covenant will be remembered and the waters will not again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

This episode gives the rainbow a theological meaning within the Genesis narrative. It is not presented merely as a weather observation, but as a visible reminder of a promise. The covenant is broader than Noah’s immediate family because the text repeatedly includes animals and the earth.

The rainbow is sometimes confused with other signs in biblical stories, such as the pillar of cloud and fire in Exodus. Those belong to different narratives. In the Noah story, the covenant sign is specifically the rainbow, also called the bow in some translations.