The Noahic Covenant, as revealed in Genesis 6:18, marks the first use of the term "covenant" in Scripture, signifying a vital aspect of the relationship between God and humanity. This covenant, proposed to Noah, serves to redefine the bond between God and all mankind in the post-Flood world, ensuring that His purpose remains unchanged despite the devastation. It is a universal covenant, not limited to Noah but extending to all his descendants and every living creature, both domestic and wild, that shared the ark with him, as confirmed in Genesis 9:9-10. Through this covenant, God solemnly promises in Genesis 9:11-17 never to destroy all life by a flood again, offering the rainbow as a visible guarantee to all humanity. This sign stands as a constant reminder that such an overwhelming deluge will not recur, affirming that God's purpose and laws remain in force. The Noahic Covenant also underscores that the Flood did not abolish prior responsibilities ordained for mankind, but rather removed the lawbreakers, maintaining the continuity of God's original intent for humanity to live according to His way of life.

The covenant that God made with Noah, known as the Noahic covenant, is a universal covenant that applies to all of mankind and remains in effect. It was announced immediately after the Flood wiped out the entire population of the earth, leaving only eight people alive. This covenant redefined the relationship between God and all of humanity, ensuring that Noah and ultimately all mankind would understand that the Flood did not nullify previous covenants. The responsibility to populate the earth was reaffirmed to Noah and his family, and mankind retained dominion over animal life, though with a new condition that animals would now fear man. Additionally, this covenant introduced the permission for mankind to eat animal flesh, with the admonition not to consume it with the blood, out of respect for the animals. It also formally established human government, including the authority to enforce a death penalty for the shedding of human blood, whether by another human or an animal. God directly confirmed this covenant to Noah as the head of the human family, but it extends to all his descendants and every living creature. As a sign of this everlasting covenant, God set His rainbow in the cloud, promising that the waters would never again become a flood to destroy all flesh, and He would remember this covenant whenever the rainbow appears in the cloud.