What does this mean in Genesis 6:6 where it says it repented the LORD, and in verse 7, it repenteth me?
Great question!
Genesis 6:5-7
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
This is the very verse that I take people to when showing them that the bible definition of "repentance" is not being sorry for your "sins." As you can see, the first bible mention of the word(s) "repented," and "repenteth" both are in reference to God, and God does not sin! In fact, many of the references to repenting in the bible have to do with God and not man. So obviously the issue of "sin" is not the issue first and foremost when it comes to repentance. So what does it mean? Well, let's look at the context.
Simply put, the word "repented" is the past tense of the word "repent." In other words, He had this "repentant" attitude since the fall of man hundreds of years earlier. And the word "repenteth" is the future tense, as in, God constantly and continually "repents" of His decision of creating mankind...which means that He had genuine sorrow because His creature had fallen into this constant sinful pattern. It has the exact same sense of what our Apostle Paul felt about Israel.
Romans 9:1-5
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Like I said before, repentance, although it is used by Christendom today as being sorry "for your sins," is not used in the bible that way, but has more to do with being "sorrowful." God was full of sorrow in Genesis 6 because his perfect creation mankind had fallen and was now evil and rebellious. Another aspect of repentance has to do with "changing directions," not only in your mind, but in your actions. And that change of action has to do with righting the wrong!
Genesis 6:5-7
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
Notice that, in the context, God is revealing how he felt in "at his heart" about mankind's wickedness. He was actually "hurting" as he watched man, whom he had originally created in his own image and likeness, and to love him and labour with him in his purpose for the earth, actually turn against him and go continually in evil. Therefore, God also seeks vengeance on mankind because of how we were rebelling against him and hurting him. And that is what repentance in this context is all about.
The Hebrew word for both "repented" and "repenteth" is the same word, "nacham." It literally means "to sigh or breath out heavily," as well as to "seek vengeance". So if you put those two things together you can see why it is used to describe the Lord here. He was "sighing" (godly sorrow...we'll see more later) in His heart because of mankind's sin and it also moved him to "seek vengeance," which he mentions in the text.
Interestingly enough, our Apostle Paul mentions something similar in 2 Corinthians 7, when dealing with our carnal brethren the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 7:9-11
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
As you can see here, true repentance has to do with "godly sorrow" inside one's soul—one that is followed by actions that entail "righting what went wrong". That is what our Apostle Paul commends our brethren the carnal Corinthians for, and that is what God Himself is doing way back in Genesis 6 (and the way it is in every reference to ‘repentance’ in scripture).
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Hopefully this helps!
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