The covenant God established with Noah, his descendants, and every living creature after the Flood (Genesis 9:8-17). Hebrew berith ("covenant, bond") used for the first time explicitly in Genesis 6:18 and 9:9. Its sign is the rainbow — a battle bow hung up, pointed away from the earth. The Noahic covenant is universal (all mankind and all animals), unconditional (God promises unilaterally), and perpetual ("everlasting covenant... for all future generations").
The Noahic covenant is the foundation of common grace and civil order. Four provisions: (1) God will never again destroy the earth by flood — the regular rhythms of seasons, seedtime, and harvest are preserved (Genesis 8:22); (2) humanity is re-commissioned to be fruitful and fill the earth (Gen 9:1, 7); (3) animals will fear man, and man may eat meat — but not blood (Gen 9:2-4); (4) capital punishment for murder is instituted because man is made in God's image (Gen 9:5-6). This fourth provision is the biblical charter for just government: the sword is delegated to human authority precisely because murder is an assault on the divine image. The Noahic covenant remains in force — every government that punishes murder participates in it, knowingly or not. Its universal scope grounds a Christian doctrine of general revelation, natural law, and the legitimacy of civil magistrates even outside Israel.