What sign did God place in the cloud as the covenant with Noah?

According to Genesis, God placed a rainbow in the cloud as the sign of the covenant with Noah.

Genesis 9 describes a covenant made after the flood between God, Noah, his descendants, and every living creature. The rainbow serves as the visible reminder that the waters would not again become a flood destroying all life. The covenant is therefore presented as universal in scope, extending beyond Noah’s family to animals and the earth.

The passage does not describe the rainbow as a new physical phenomenon created only after the flood. Instead, it identifies the rainbow as the sign or reminder associated with the covenant. This distinction matters because the text focuses on its symbolic meaning.

The rainbow covenant comes after Noah leaves the Ark and offers a burnt offering. It is separate from the later biblical covenants associated with Abraham, Moses, and David, each of which has different promises and signs.