After Noah leaves the Ark, Genesis presents a rainbow as the sign of God’s covenant with Noah, his descendants, and every living creature. The covenant promises that a flood will not again destroy all life on Earth.
The rainbow therefore functions in the story as both a natural phenomenon and a theological sign. Genesis places it in the clouds and connects it with remembrance of the covenant whenever it appears. This is one of the best-known conclusions to the flood narrative.
The rainbow covenant is separate from the olive leaf brought by the dove. The leaf signals that vegetation has reappeared, while the rainbow appears later, after Noah builds an altar and the covenant is announced. Later Jewish and Christian interpretations give the covenant broad significance, but the Genesis text itself names the rainbow as its visible sign.