God's Regret Over Creating Humanity Explained in Scripture
The biblical concept of God regretting the creation of humanity is primarily found in Genesis 6:6, which states, "The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart" [1]. This passage describes God's emotional response to the widespread wickedness that had corrupted humanity before the Great Flood.
The language used in Genesis 6:6, particularly "the LORD was sorry" (or "repented" in some translations), presents a theological challenge because God is often described as unchanging and without regret. Commentators address this by explaining that such expressions are anthropopathic, meaning they describe God's actions and feelings in human terms for human understanding [7, 8]. John Gill notes that repentance, "properly speaking, cannot fall upon God, for he never changes his mind or alters his purposes, though he sometimes changes the course and dispensations of his providence" [7]. Similarly, John Calvin argues that the repentance ascribed to God "does not properly belong to him, but has reference to our understanding of him" [8]. He explains that since humans cannot fully comprehend God as He is, God "should, in a certain sense, transform himself" to communicate His displeasure [8]. Calvin further emphasizes that God's foreknowledge means nothing happens unexpectedly or unforeseen by Him, precluding true repentance in the human sense [8].
The context for God's sorrow is the profound corruption of humanity. Genesis 6:5 states that "every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" [1]. This pervasive evil grieved God's heart deeply [1, 6]. Matthew Henry likens God's reaction to that of a "tender father" witnessing the "folly and stubbornness of a rebellious and disobedient child," which not only angers but also grieves him [5]. The "Fall of man," recorded in Genesis 2 and 3, describes the revolt of the first parents from God, leading to sin and misery for all their descendants [3]. This event resulted in humanity being "born in sin" and having an "evil in heart" [4].
God's regret is not an admission of error in creation itself, but rather a sorrow over the moral trajectory humanity had taken [5, 6]. Humanity was created in God's image and likeness [2]. However, the disobedience of Adam, instigated by the devil's temptation, led to a corrupted human nature [4]. This corruption was so complete that God determined to "destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth" [9]. This decision was a "heart-wrenching act" for God, demonstrating the depth of His pain over human wickedness [6].
The concept of God's regret highlights the severity of human sin and its impact on the Creator. It underscores that while God's purposes are immutable, His interaction with creation is dynamic and responsive to human choices [7]. The narrative serves to teach humanity about the consequences of sin and God's righteous judgment against it [5, 9].
Sources
- Genesis “Genesis 6:6 (NASB) — The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Man — Made for God -- Pr 16:4; Re 4:11. God's purpose in creation completed by making -- Ge 2:5,7. Cannot profit God -- Job 22:2; Ps 16:2. Unworthy of God's favour -- Job 7:17; Ps 8:4. Created By God. -- Ge 1:27; Isa 45:12. By Christ. -- Joh 1:3; Col 1:16. By the Holy Spirit. -- Job 33:4. After consultation, by the Trinity. -- Ge 1:26. On the sixth day. -- Ge 1:31. Upon the earth. -- De 4:32; Job 20:4. From the dust. -- Ge 2:7; Job 33:6. In the image of God. -- Ge 1:26,27; 1Co 11:7. After the likeness of God. -- Ge 1:26; Jas 3:9. Male and female. -- Ge 1:27; 5:2. A l”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Fall of man — An expression probably borrowed from the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom, to express the fact of the revolt of our first parents from God, and the consequent sin and misery in which they and all their posterity were involved. The history of the Fall is recorded in Gen. 2 and 3. That history is to be literally interpreted. It records facts which underlie the whole system of revealed truth. It is referred to by our Lord and his apostles not only as being true, but as furnishing the ground of all God's subsequent dispensations and dealings with the children of m”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Fall of Man, The — By the disobedience of Adam -- Ge 3:6,11,12; Ro 5:12,15,19. Through temptation of the devil -- Ge 3:1-5; 2Co 11:3; 1Ti 2:14. Man in consequence of Made in the image of Adam. -- Ge 5:3; 1Co 15:48,49. Born in sin. -- Job 15:14; 25:4; Ps 51:5; Isa 48:8; Joh 3:6. A child of wrath. -- Eph 2:3. Evil in heart. -- Ge 6:5; 8:21; Jer 16:12; Mt 15:19. Blinded in heart. -- Eph 4:18. Corrupt and perverse in his ways. -- Ge 6:12; Ps 10:5; Ro 3:12-16. Depraved in mind. -- Ro 8:5-7; Eph 4:17; Col 1:21; Tit 1:15. Without understanding. -- Ps 14:2,3; Ro 3:11; 1:31. ”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 6:6: Here is, I. God's resentment of man's wickedness. He did not see it as an unconcerned spectator, but as one injured and affronted by it; he saw it as a tender father sees the folly and stubbornness of a rebellious and disobedient child, which not only angers him, but grieves him, and makes him wish he had been written childless. The expressions here used are very strange: It repented the Lord that he had made man upon the earth, that he had made a creature of such noble powers and faculties, and had put him on this earth, which he built and furnished on purpose to”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 6:6: 6:6 the Lord was sorry: The extent of human wickedness made the Lord regret having created them (see also 6:7; cp. 1 Sam 15:11, 35). • It broke his heart: The evil in humanity’s heart (Gen 6:5) pained God greatly. Sending the flood was a heart-wrenching act on God’s part.”
- Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 6:6: And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth,.... Because of the wickedness of man, the wickedness of his heart, and the wickedness of his life and conversation, which was so general, and increased to such a degree, that it was intolerable; wherefore God could have wished, as it were, that he had never made him, since he proved so bad; not that repentance, properly speaking, can fall upon God, for he never changes his mind or alters his purposes, though he sometimes changes the course and dispensations of his providence. This is speaking by an anthropopa”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 10.15: grace of the Spirit, is clearly exhibited. 6. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth The repentance which is here ascribed to God does not properly belong to him, but has reference to our understanding of him. For since we cannot comprehend him as he is, it is necessary that, for our sakes he should, in a certain sense, transform himself. That repentance cannot take place in God, easily appears from this single considerations that nothing happens which is by him unexpected or unforeseen. The same reasoning, an”
- Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 6:7: And the Lord said,.... Not to the angels, nor to Noah, but within himself, on observing to what a height the sin of man had got, and what a spread it made on the earth: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth; though he is my creature, the work of my hands, I have made him out of the earth, and made him lord of it; I am now determined to show my detestation of his wickedness, and for the honour of my justice to destroy him from off it; just as a potter takes a vessel he dislikes, when he has made it, and dashes it to pieces: or "I will wi”