What sign did God set in the clouds after Noah’s Ark landed?

After Noah’s Ark story, Genesis identifies the rainbow as the sign of God’s covenant with Noah. The covenant promises that a flood will not again destroy all life on Earth in the same way.

Genesis places the rainbow in the clouds and presents it as a visible reminder of the agreement between God and every living creature. The passage therefore gives the rainbow both a natural appearance and a theological meaning within the story.

The rainbow is often confused with the dove, but the two symbols serve different roles. Noah sends a dove to test whether the floodwaters have receded; the rainbow appears afterward as the covenant sign. In later Jewish and Christian interpretation, the rainbow becomes a widely recognized emblem of divine promise, while rainbows in nature are explained by refraction and reflection of sunlight in water droplets.