A KJV word with a wider meaning
In everyday English, repent usually means turning away from one’s own sin. That is not what Scripture means when it speaks of God repenting. The Hebrew word behind several of these passages is nacham. Depending on the setting, it can carry the sense of being grieved, moved with compassion, or relenting from a course of action.
Before the flood, human wickedness had filled the earth. Genesis says that God was grieved in his heart over the evil people had chosen. This is not a picture of God admitting a mistake in creating humanity. It shows that sin matters to him deeply. God is not distant from the damage human rebellion causes.
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
God responds to real human choices
After Israel worshipped the golden calf at Sinai, Moses pleaded for the people, and the Lord did not bring the disaster he had announced. The passage says God repented of the evil he thought to do, meaning he withheld the judgement. Moses’ prayer was not pointless, and Israel’s sin was not treated lightly. God chose mercy in response to intercession.
The same pattern appears in Nineveh. When its people turned from violence and evil, God did not bring the destruction Jonah had proclaimed. Jonah himself understood that this revealed God’s gracious and merciful character, not weakness or indecision (Jonah 3:10; Jonah 4:2).
And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
God does not change in character
At first glance, 1 Samuel 15 can sound contradictory. God tells Samuel that he repents of making Saul king because Saul has rejected his command. Yet later Samuel says that the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent as a man does. The chapter distinguishes between God’s unchanging faithfulness and his real judgement on Saul’s disobedience.
God did not discover new information about Saul. He had already warned that obedience mattered. When Saul persisted in rebellion, God removed the kingdom from him. God’s decision about Saul’s role changed because Saul’s relationship to God’s command had changed, while God’s holiness and truth remained firm (1 Samuel 15:11; 1 Samuel 15:26).
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
A personal and trustworthy God
Jeremiah explains the principle plainly. God may announce judgement against a nation, but if that nation turns from evil, he may relent from the calamity. He may also promise blessing, yet judge a people who turn to evil. These warnings and promises are part of a living relationship with a morally serious God, not empty predictions (Jeremiah 18:7-10).
So, when you read that God repented, read it as Scripture’s honest language about his grief over sin and his mercy towards those who turn to him. He is not changeable in the way people are, swayed by ignorance or regret. His character is constant, and that constancy includes both justice and compassion (Malachi 3:6).