Genesis gives a rainbow as the sign of God’s covenant after the flood in the Noah’s Ark story.
In Genesis 9, God establishes a covenant with Noah, his descendants, and every living creature after the flood. The rainbow in the clouds is identified as the sign of that covenant. Its appearance is linked to the promise that waters will not again become a flood destroying all flesh.
The rainbow is therefore distinct from the dove. Noah sends birds during the flood narrative to learn whether the waters have receded, while the rainbow appears later as a covenant sign. Those are separate episodes with different functions in the story.
The passage also broadens the covenant beyond Noah’s household: it includes future generations and the living creatures associated with the earth. The rainbow’s role in Genesis is consequently both narrative and symbolic, marking a divine promise after the waters have subsided.