When Noah saw the first dry land again, the desire arose in him to be able to get out of the ark. He wanted to know whether and to what extent the earth was getting dry and if anything was already growing. Forty days after the first mountaintops became visible, Noah sent out a raven.
The raven did not immediately see anything to eat. It had to search carefully, first flying back and forth. Nevertheless, later the raven found plenty to eat on the highest parts of the mountains. This is understandable because a raven eats what remains of corpses of people and animals. He can survive rather quickly—even on the highest parts of the mountains.
It is different with a dove. Doves live in the lower parts of the vegetation. They rely on the growth of plants and crops. Without it, they could not survive. That is why the dove returns to Noah the first time he sent him. Seven days later, Noah let the dove fly again. The dove returned again—but this time it gave new hope. It had a fresh olive leaf in its beak. This was a sign that the trees were beginning to bud once again. The Lord was causing nature to recover. Noah saw that the Lord was working, that he gave a sign of hope again. He gave new courage.
After another week, Noah let the dove fly again. This time it did not return. This was another sign that God was preparing the earth for the new humanity: to be able to live on the earth again.
When Noah opened the hatch of the ark on the first day of the new year, he saw that the earth was no longer under water. Everything was still wet and muddy, but the water had receded. Noah had to be patient a little longer.
Nearly two months later, the Lord said the time had come to leave the ark. Now the earth could again be filled with new life. The land had dried up.
6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made