A Promise after the Storm

After the flood, Noah waits as the waters recede. A raven and then a dove are sent out. The dove eventually returns with a freshly plucked olive leaf, a small sign that the land is becoming livable again. Noah does not leave the ark until God tells him to go out.

He builds an altar, and the story moves toward a covenant with Noah, his descendants, and the living creatures. The rainbow becomes the sign of that covenant. The world is not portrayed as suddenly free of human failure, but a promise frames this new beginning.