Did God really repent? Unpacking the Hebrew Word nhm

Have you ever heard that God repented? What do you think when you hear that? Does God really recognize that he has done wrong? Or does it mean something else? Is there any hidden meaning behind that?

Why word studies matter

Words are symbols that convey meaning, but one thing we need to have in mind is that words can convey different meanings, depending on the context, and when we trace back to ancient languages, words used to carry many different meanings depending on the context. Our language has evolved and our vocabulary is vast, but it wasn't like that when the Bible was being written. That is why for the ones who desire to deepen their understanding in biblical studies, diving in studies of Hebrew or Greek words become a mandatory route.

It doesn't mean that every eager learner of scripture must learn biblical languages, but it is important to be aware that word studies play an important role in helping us to understand what the text is saying, and that you can find many of them discussed by scholars who dedicated their time to learn how to do it.

The word that will be discussed here is the Hebrew root word nhm. This study will help you to understand what it means when you read that God repented.

Definition

Beginning with how this word can be translated, we found that nhm can be transliterated as regret, to have pity, be sorry, console oneself, repenting.[1]

“The origin of the root seems to reflect the idea of ‘breathing deeply,’ hence the physical display of one’s feelings, usually sorrow, compassion, or comfort.”[2]

From the 108 times that this word appears, 56 times is translated as comfort, and 25 times as “relenting.” The remaining instances varied among synonyms like consolation, compassion, change, sorry, relief.

In both usages, God is the agent — he is the one who comforts and he is the one who relents.

To Comfort

To comfort means to alleviate sorrow or distress; give emotional strength to.[3]

We can see it in some usages below:

“For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord.” (Isa 51:3)

“Cry out again, thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.” (Zec 1:17)

“You will say in that day: ‘I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.’” (Isa 12:1)

“Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.” (Isa 52:9)

To Relent

The word relent means “to cease a particular activity, often with the implication that the relenting is a gracious act.”[4] Throughout the whole Old Testament we can see God as the one who relents — he ceases to bring punishment to the people. Despite this, in some instances God relents from good things, as in the usage of nhm in Gen 6:5–7, where it says the LORD was sorry [nhm] that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. The Hebrew word nhm appears more often as God relenting, ceasing to bring disaster and punishment — as when God relented (nhm) from the disaster against Israel after Moses interceded for them (Ex 32:12, 14). Usually there is a call for repentance and a promise of comfort and relenting, as we often see in the major and minor prophets, as we see below:

“And if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.” (Jer 18:8)

“For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts.’” (Zec 8:14)

The Test Case: Jonah

This word is special to us because it appears in the book of Jonah. Some translations also use the term ‘repent,’ but in the ESV we see it like this:

“Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish… When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.” (Jonah 3:9–10)

Does God change his mind in Jonah? As seen in other contexts where Israel was the object of wrath because of her disobedience, God is always “changing his mind” concerning his punishment. This “changing of mind” should be understood in light of the root nhm. God relents from his punishment following repentance — we see this pattern happening many times in the Old Testament. This is part of who God is: he is a merciful God who responds to a contrite heart (ex. Ps 51:7). I would argue that God longs to change his mind — as a good father, he would rather have his child receive blessings than punishment.

When we see God repenting, he is not recognizing that he was wrong, but he is ceasing to cause the natural consequence of disobedience. With that in mind, it’s seen in Jonah that God shows no partiality — despite a judgment being proclaimed, God can relent from it when true repentance is present.

Understanding that concept will help you to see the book of Jonah less isolated. Because in fact, the story is not really about Jonah but is part of the progressive revelation of the gospel to the nations; as in other places throughout scripture God shows that he is willing to forgive and affirms that he is the only one who is able to do it. So next time you hear that God repented, think in terms of ceasing to bring about judgment and let threads of grace find a place in your heart.

Notes

[1] Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977), 636.

[2] Timothy Prussic, “Divine Repentance: A Word Study,” WRS, www.wrs.edu/assets/docs/Journals/2005a/Prussic - Divine Repentance.pdf. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

[3] Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham Research Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible, nhm, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).

[4] Brannan, nhm.

Bibliography

Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977.

Brannan, Rick, ed. Lexham Research Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible, nhm. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020.

Logos Bible Study Software. Word Study Guide. https://ref.ly/logos4/Guide?t=My+Bible+Word+Study&lemma=lbs%2fhe%2f%D7%A0%D7%97%D7%9D

Prussic, Timothy. “Divine Repentance: A Word Study.” WRS, www.wrs.edu/assets/docs/Journals/2005a/Prussic - Divine Repentance.pdf. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.