Regret?

[Kojikun]

So I'm rereading Genesis and I'm to the part with the flood. It says God "regretted" creating humans. I know God does not "regret" per say, and the anthrpromophisising that takes place in the book of Genesis is often to convey human attributes to a non human entity. I looked up other translations. The KJV uses the word Repentanth. Is "regret" really the best way to put it? Or are the feelings to complex to express with limited human emotions and words?

 

[Katy]

So I'm rereading Genesis and I'm to the part with the flood. It says God "regretted" creating humans. I know God does not "regret" per say, and the anthrpromophisising that takes place in the book of Genesis is often to convey human attributes to a non human entity. I looked up other translations. The KJV uses the word Repentanth. Is "regret" really the best way to put it? Or are the feelings to complex to express with limited human emotions and words?

I have often grappled with this as well... God is omniscient. Our future behaviours are already known to him. Regret doesn't seem to fit?

 

[Lucy-Pevensie]

Why not? His heart was grieved, that's the point. It doesn't matter that he knew it would all happen beforehand.
He also knew he had a long term plan to restore mankind and the earth. We aren't all the way there yet but he knows what the end will be.
Passages like that communicate to us that God has his heart invested in creation.

 

[Katy]

Why not? His heart was grieved, that's the point. It doesn't matter that he knew it would all happen beforehand.
He also knew he had a long term plan to restore mankind and the earth. We aren't all the way there yet but he knows what the end will be.
Passages like that communicate to us that God has his heart invested in creation.

Thank you. I guess the issue was my interpretation of regret (wished he hadn't created mankind), where as it is closer to sorrow...

 

[Lucy-Pevensie]

Thank you. I guess the issue was my interpretation of regret (wished he hadn't created mankind), where as it is closer to sorrow...

Well it does say that, so we digest it with our human logic but I really think it's trying to give us an insight into
how much our predicament hurts God. He had to damage the rest of his creation to give us a restart.

As we now know he even went so far as to become one of us & give his own life to set things right.

 

[p_rehbein]

FYI:

(excerpt)

The Bible rarely speaks of God experiencing "regret." The Hebrew word used here is yin'nā'hem, from the root word nacham. The word is exclusively about emotions: a feeling of pain, sadness, or unhappiness. The word does not imply that God feels He has made a mistake, or that He wishes to have done differently. It is possible to experience grief and "regret," as used here, without implying an error. Any parent who has held a crying, upset child as they receive a shot has experienced exactly that. Such a parent is "grieved" over the pain, but has no illusions that this was the wrong decision.

(here)

What does Genesis 6:6 mean? - Online Bible Commentary

 

[Katy]

FYI:

(excerpt)

The Bible rarely speaks of God experiencing "regret." The Hebrew word used here is yin'nā'hem, from the root word nacham. The word is exclusively about emotions: a feeling of pain, sadness, or unhappiness. The word does not imply that God feels He has made a mistake, or that He wishes to have done differently. It is possible to experience grief and "regret," as used here, without implying an error. Any parent who has held a crying, upset child as they receive a shot has experienced exactly that. Such a parent is "grieved" over the pain, but has no illusions that this was the wrong decision.

(here)

What does Genesis 6:6 mean? - Online Bible Commentary

Thanks for that. The different translations - grieved and regret, in my mind change the meaning entirely. Grieved seems a lot more fitting.

 

[Kojikun]

FYI:

(excerpt)

The Bible rarely speaks of God experiencing "regret." The Hebrew word used here is yin'nā'hem, from the root word nacham. The word is exclusively about emotions: a feeling of pain, sadness, or unhappiness. The word does not imply that God feels He has made a mistake, or that He wishes to have done differently. It is possible to experience grief and "regret," as used here, without implying an error. Any parent who has held a crying, upset child as they receive a shot has experienced exactly that. Such a parent is "grieved" over the pain, but has no illusions that this was the wrong decision.

(here)

What does Genesis 6:6 mean? - Online Bible Commentary

That makes perfect sense. Thank you for the insight

 

[Blik]

All of these posts are doing something I think is so very fine. It is reading a scripture verse, not only for the message of that verse, but relating it to the character of our creator God as so many verses explain His characteristics.

Each post relates their interpretation of what the verse says as needing to be in tune with God's characteristics.

 

[oyster67]

So I'm rereading Genesis and I'm to the part with the flood. It says God "regretted" creating humans. I know God does not "regret" per say, and the anthrpromophisising that takes place in the book of Genesis is often to convey human attributes to a non human entity. I looked up other translations. The KJV uses the word Repentanth. Is "regret" really the best way to put it? Or are the feelings to complex to express with limited human emotions and words?

God was sad about the poor choices men made and what had resulted from those poor choices.

Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!

 

[oyster67]

A good verse to remember through it all is this...

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

He loves us.

 

[Journeyman]

God was sad about the poor choices men made and what had resulted from those poor choices.

Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!

The greatest example of poor choices that grieved God is how his Son was abused.

A good verse to remember through it all is this...

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

He loves us.

He does love us. The longsuffering Jesus displayed toward his creation while being mocked is stunning.