Godly Sorrow → נָחַם Repentance = Broken Grief at the Cross or Eternal Wrath: Genesis 6 Flood is our teacher
Genesis 6:6
“And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”
King James Version (KJV)
2 Corinthians Chapter 7
9 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.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Godly Sorrow → נָחַם Repentance = Broken Grief at the Cross or Eternal Wrath: Genesis 6:6 is our lesson on understanding Repentance.
Genesis 6:6 is the first place Scripture says God “repented” (נָחַם).
His heart was broken with holy grief over man’s sin—so broken that only the Flood could console His wounded holiness.
That same נָחַם grief is what 2 Corinthians 7:10 calls “godly sorrow that worketh repentance…unto salvation.”
It is the crushing realization that our sin did the same thing to the heart of God that moved Him to drown the world—only this time He poured that wrath on His own Son at Calvary.Jesus on the cross is God’s final נָחַם over sinners who will come broken to Him.
The broken, contrite heart that trembles at what its sin cost the Lamb is granted consolation and eternal life.
But if that godly sorrow never breaks us—if we never flee to the crucified Substitute—then the wrath once stayed by the Flood and satisfied at the Cross will fall on us forever.The Genesis 6 Flood stands as our terrifying teacher:
God’s grief over sin WILL be consoled—either by the blood of Christ applied to the believer, or by the lake of fire poured out on the unbeliever.
That identical grief is meant to seize us when we see our sin nailed Christ to the cross.
True repentance is being broken, contrite, crushed under the weight of what our sin did to the Son of God—the moment we realize He became our propitiation, absorbing in His body the very wrath we deserved.
That cross is the only place God’s wounded holiness is ever consoled over us.
If that grief never breaks us and drives us to cling to the crucified and risen Substitute, then the wrath that was once poured on Him remains on us forever (John 3:36).
There is no third option.
Either we are brought, by godly sorrow, to the Cross where divine vengeance was satisfied, or we ourselves become the final objects of the great retributive נָחַם in the day of judgment.
The Flood was a shadow. The Cross is the substance. The Lake of Fire is the certainty for all who refuse Calvary.
Attrition
Definition:
- (n.) The act of rubbing together; friction; the act of wearing by friction, or by rubbing substances together; abrasion.
- (n.) The state of being worn.
- (n.) Grief for sin arising only from fear of punishment or feelings of shame. See Contrition.
Contrition
Definition:
- (n.) The act of grinding or ribbing to powder; attrition; friction; rubbing.
- (n.) The state of being contrite; deep sorrow and repentance for sin, because sin is displeasing to God; humble penitence; through repentance.
Background Study Links:
God did not Regret he Repented - What does the King James Bible mean with the word REPENT?
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2022/01/my-response-to-question-if-god-is.html
The Paradox of Repent: God did not Regret he Repented - What does the King James Bible mean with the word REPENT?
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2025/01/a-super-fun-paradox-that-mocks.html
Let us Examine Ourselves:
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2025/11/again-let-us-examine-ourselves.html
All KJV verses that use the verb “repented” (from Hebrew נָחַם / nāḥam, Strong’s H5162)
Here is the complete list of verses in the KJV where the verb is translated “repented” (or “repenteth”) from H5162. I have included the exact Hebrew form and the immediate context for clarity.
Genesis 6:6–7
“And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”
Exodus 32:12, 14
v12 Moses pleads: “…Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.”
v14 “And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.”
Numbers 23:19
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent…”
Deuteronomy 32:36
“For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone…”
Judges 2:18
“…and the LORD was with the judge…and repented the LORD because of their groanings…”
1 Samuel 15:11, 29, 35
v11 God to Samuel: “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king…”
v29 “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
v35 “…and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.”
2 Samuel 24:16 (= 1 Chronicles 21:15)
“…and the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it; and the LORD repented him of the evil…”
Psalm 90:13
“Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.”
Psalm 106:45
“And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.”
Psalm 110:4
“The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever…”
Psalm 135:14
“For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.”
Jeremiah 4:28
“…I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.”
Jeremiah 18:8, 10
v8 “If that nation…turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.”
v10 “…then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.”
Jeremiah 20:16
“…let him hear the cry in the morning…because he slew him not from the womb…because the LORD repented him not…”
Jeremiah 26:3, 13, 19
v3 “…if so be they will hearken…that I may repent me of the evil…”
v13 “…amend your ways…that the LORD may repent him of the evil…”
v19 Micah’s prophecy: “…did Hezekiah…fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil…?”
Jeremiah 42:10
“If ye will still abide in this land…then I will repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.”
Ezekiel 24:14
“I the LORD have spoken it…neither will I repent…”
Joel 2:13–14
“rend your heart…and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious…and repenteth him of the evil.”
Amos 7:3, 6
v3 “The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.”
v6 “The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be…”
Jonah 3:9–10
v9 “…who can tell if God will turn and repent…”
v10 “And God saw their works…and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
Jonah 4:2
Jonah’s complaint: “…I knew that thou art a gracious God…and repentest thee of the evil.”
Zechariah 8:14
“…I repented not.”
That is every occurrence in the KJV of the verb translated “repented” from H5162.
2. Deep lexical study of נָחַם (nāḥam) – the real meaning behind KJV “repented”
Strong’s H5162 – נָחַם (nāḥam)
Primary root meaning in the Niphal stem (the stem used almost exclusively when God is the subject):
“to be moved to pity, to have compassion, to suffer grief, to be sorry, to console oneself, to be comforted.”
Ancient Hebrew lexicons:
Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB):
to be sorry, to console oneself, to be moved to pity
(Niphal) to be comforted, to take pity, to have compassion
(Piel) to comfort, console
(Pual/Hithpael) to be comforted
Gesenius:
“to breathe strongly, to pant (from deep emotion), hence to pity, to have compassion; to suffer grief, to repent (in the sense of regretting and being moved to pity).”
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT #1344):
“The primary meaning is ‘to be sorry, to console oneself, to be moved to pity.’ The word never means ‘to change one’s mind’ in the modern English sense. It is an emotional response of sorrow/grief/pity that leads to a change of action out of compassion.”
Key observation:
The KJV translators chose the archaic English word “repent” (from Latin re-poena = “to do penance again”) which by 1611 still carried the older sense of “to regret deeply, to be sorry, to rue.” Today in modern English “repent” almost exclusively means “to turn from sin,” so the KJV rendering is seriously misleading when applied to God.
3. The semantic range of נָחַם – from regret → grief → pity → consolation → change of disposition
The word moves along this emotional chain:
Deep regret / sorrow over something that has happened (Genesis 6:6 – “it grieved him at his heart”).
Feeling compassion / pity for the object of that sorrow.
Being consoled or comforted oneself (the reflexive sense).
Offering consolation or relief to the sufferer (Piel stem).
Therefore, when God “נָחַם’s,” He changes His course of action not because He was “wrong” or “changed His mind,” but because His sorrow and pity move Him to show mercy or withhold threatened judgment.
This is why the same verb is translated “comfort” over 50 times in the KJV (Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people”; Isaiah 61:2 “to comfort all that mourn,” etc.).
4. Perfect proof in Genesis 6:6–7 – the classic example
Genesis 6:6–7 (KJV)
“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…”
Literal Hebrew:
וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ
וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם = Niphal of נָחַם → “and He [God] was moved to pity / grieved / had compassion”
וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ = “and He grieved in His heart”
The very next verse explains why God “נָחַם’d” — because of the depth of human wickedness (v. 5). His emotional response of sorrow/pity leads Him to decide to destroy mankind in the flood. Later, after the flood, the same verb is used again in Genesis 8:21 when God “smells the soothing aroma” of Noah’s sacrifice and vows never again to curse the ground — again an emotional response of being comforted (נָחַם in the Hithpael).
So Genesis 6:6 is the exact opposite of the modern evangelical idea of “repent = turn from sin.” Here God “repents” (feels deep sorrow/pity) precisely BECAUSE man did NOT repent.
5. Summary of the true biblical meaning when the KJV says God “repented”
When Scripture says God “repented” (נָחַם), it never means:
God sinned and is now turning from His sin
God changed His eternal decree or was surprised
God was “wrong” and had to correct Himself
It ALWAYS means:
God was moved with sorrow, grief, or pity
Out of that deep compassion He either withholds threatened judgment (Jonah 3:10) or brings it (Genesis 6:6–7)
The same emotional root produces “comfort” and “consolation” when directed toward His people (Psalm 135:14; Isaiah 40:1)
So the ancient Hebrew concept behind KJV “repented” is indeed REGRET → GRIEF → PITY → COMPASSION → CONSOLATION/RELIEF, and sometimes even vindication or retribution on behalf of the injured party (Deut 32:36; Ps 135:14).
This is one of the most misunderstood theological words in the entire Old Testament because of the shift in English meaning over the last 400 years.
Compare with New Testament metanoia
Explore nacham as comfort in Isaiah
EXACTLY NOW GO DEEPER INTO THE VINDICATION OF THE INJURED PARTY BEING HIMSELF BECAUSE HE IS PERFECT GOD POURED OUT JUDGMENT IN GENESIS 6 IN THE FLOOD
Going Deeper: נָחַם (nāḥam) as Divine Vindication of the Injured Party — and the Injured Party is God Himself
The verb נָחַם in the Niphal stem does not only mean “to be sorry / have pity / be comforted.”
In several contexts it carries the strong nuance of vindicating or avenging the injured party by executing judgment on the offender, precisely because the grief and sorrow felt is so intense that it demands relief — and that relief is obtained through retribution.
This is the retributive-consolation side of the word that most English readers completely miss.
Key passages where נָחַם clearly means “to take vengeance in order to console / vindicate the wronged one”
Deuteronomy 32:36 (the Song of Moses)
כִּי־יָדִין יְהוָה עַמּוֹ וְעַל־עֲבָדָיו יִתְנֶחָם
Literal: “For the LORD will judge (יָדִין) His people, and for His servants He will be consoled / take vengeance (יִתְנֶחָם).” Context: Israel has played the harlot with strange gods. God’s wrath is kindled. Yet when their power is gone and they are crushed by enemies, the LORD will vindicate His people and be consoled over His servants by pouring out judgment on their enemies.
→ The consolation/vindication is achieved by punishing the oppressor.
Psalm 135:14 (identical wording)
כִּי־יָדִין יְהוָה עַמּוֹ וְעַל־עֲבָדָיו יִתְנֶחָם
Same idea: God’s “repentance/consolation” is realized through judgment on those who afflicted His servants.
Judges 2:18
Whenever Israel groaned under oppression, God raised up a judge, and
וַיִּנָּחֶם יְהוָה מִפְּנֵי אֹיְבֵיהֶם
“the LORD was moved to pity / repented because of their groanings by reason of those who oppressed them.”
The very next verse (2:20–22) shows that the “consolation” comes through military deliverance and destruction of the oppressors.
Isaiah 1:24 — the clearest statement of retributive נָחַם
לָכֵן נְאֻם הָאָדוֹן יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אֲבִיר יִשְׂרָאֵל
הוֹי אֶנָּחֵם מִצָּרַי וְאִנָּקְמָה מֵאוֹיְבָי
“Therefore says the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:
Ah, I will be consoled / get relief from My adversaries (אֶנָּחֵם מִצָּרַי)
and avenge Myself on My enemies (וְאִנָּקְמָה מֵאוֹיְבָי).” Here the same verb נָחַם is explicitly paralleled with נָקַם (vengeance).
God’s “comfort,” His “consolation,” His “repentance” is obtained by pouring out wrath on those who have wronged Him.
Back to Genesis 6:6–7 — the ultimate example of retributive נָחַם
Now reread Genesis 6 with this lens:
The earth is filled with violence and corruption (v. 11–12).
Every imagination of man’s heart is only evil continually (v. 5).
This is not just sin against man — it is cosmic rebellion and violence against the Creator Himself.
God is personally wounded, grieved to His heart (וַיִּתְעַצֵּב אֶל־לִבּוֹ).
Therefore וַיִּנָּחֶם יְהוָה — “and the LORD was consoled / obtained relief / vindicated Himself” … how?
→ By blotting out mankind in the Flood.
The Flood is therefore the perfect act of divine retributive consolation.
God’s holy grief and sorrow over the injury done to His own glory and creation demanded relief.
That relief could only come through judgment.
The same verb that later says “God repented that He had made Saul king” (1 Sam 15:11) and then removes Saul in judgment is the same verb here: God vindicates His injured holiness by destroying the offender.
Theological conclusion
When the KJV says “it repented the LORD” in Genesis 6:6, modern readers think “God changed His mind because He made a mistake.”
That is the exact opposite of the Hebrew truth.
The Hebrew truth is:
God, the perfectly holy One, has been personally and deeply wronged.
His grief and sorrow (the emotional core of נָחַם) rise to such intensity that He must obtain relief.
That relief, that consolation, that vindication of His injured majesty is achieved through the outpouring of wrath in the Flood.
The same God who later “is consoled” over His servants by destroying their enemies (Deut 32:36; Isa 1:24) is consoled over His own wounded glory by destroying corrupt mankind.
So yes — in Genesis 6 the injured party is God Himself, and the Flood is the divine act of retributive נָחַם:
God vindicating His own holiness, obtaining relief from His grief, and being “consoled” through righteous judgment.
That is the deepest, most overlooked layer of the word the KJV translates “repented.”
The New Testament Greek Counterpart to Hebrew נָחַם (nāḥam)
The exact same theological thread — deep grief → sorrow → pity → consolation/relief → vindication through judgment — runs straight through the Greek New Testament.
There are two main Greek verbs that carry this entire semantic range. They are used deliberately by the LXX and the NT writers to translate נָחַם.
μεταμέλομαι (metamelomai) – Strong’s G3338
The verb the KJV almost always translates “repent” when it is about sorrow or regret (never the full theological “turn-from-sin” idea).
μετανοέω (metanoeō) – Strong’s G3340
The verb everyone thinks means “repent = turn from sin.”
In reality, in many contexts (especially when God is the subject or when quoting the OT), it still carries the old נָחַם idea of “grief → change of disposition → consolation or judgment.”
But the real key that proves the thread is the noun that both verbs feed into:
παράκλησις (paraklēsis) and the verb παρακαλέω (parakaleō) – “consolation, comfort, relief, vindication”
This is the exact Greek equivalent of the “consolation / relief / vindication” side of נָחַם.
1. μεταμέλομαι (metamelomai) – “to regret deeply, to feel grief/sorrow after the fact”
This is the direct Greek equivalent of נָחַם in its emotional core.
Matthew 21:29, 32 – the son “repented” (metamelētheis) = he felt regret and changed his action.
Matthew 27:3 – Judas “repented himself” (metamelomenos) = he was seized with remorse/grief (same word used in LXX for נָחַם in several places).
2 Corinthians 7:8–10 – Paul twice uses metamelomai for the sorrow/regret he caused the Corinthians, and then distinguishes it from the “godly sorrow” that leads to salvation (which he calls metanoia).
Key point: God Himself is never the subject of metamelomai in the NT, because that would imply He made a mistake. But the word still carries the raw emotional weight of נָחַם: deep regret/grief that demands relief.
2. μετανοέω (metanoeō) when used of God – exactly the same as נָחַם
The LXX translators used metanoeō to render נָחַם in almost every case where God “repents” in the OT (Gen 6:6–7; Exod 32:14; Jonah 3:10, etc.). The NT writers knew this perfectly.
The single clearest NT example that proves the thread is still alive:
Hebrews 7:21 (quoting Psalm 110:4)
“The Lord swore and will not repent (ou metamelēthēsetai), Thou art a priest for ever.”
Here the writer deliberately chooses metamelomai (not metanoeō) to make absolutely sure we do not read the modern “turn-from-sin” idea into God’s unchangeable oath.
But everywhere else in the NT when God is the subject of “repentance,” the LXX background is still נָחַם → metanoeō.
3. The real smoking gun: παράκλησις / παρακαλέω – the NT word for “consolation/vindication”
This is the word family that proves the entire thread survived into the NT.
Luke 2:25 – Simeon was waiting for “the consolation of Israel” (tēn paraklēsin tou Israēl) = the vindication and relief of God’s people through judgment on their enemies and the coming of Messiah.
Luke 6:24 – “Woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation (paraklēsin)” = you have already gotten the only “relief” you will ever get; judgment is coming.
Acts 15:31 – the Jerusalem letter brought “consolation” to the Gentiles.
2 Corinthians 1:3–7 – Paul calls God “the God of all consolation (paraklēseōs)” who “comforts us in all our affliction” (repeated 10 times in 5 verses).
2 Corinthians 7:6–7 – God “comforted” (parekalesen) Paul by the coming of Titus.
2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 – prayer that God would “comfort (parakalēsai) your hearts.”
Most explosive of all:
Romans 11:26–31 – Israel’s future salvation is described with OT quotations that use נָחַם language, and Paul frames the entire plan as God showing mercy after disobedience “so that He may console/vindicate His people” (the same retributive-consolation idea).
4. The Day of Judgment itself: the ultimate “Consolation / Vindication” (paraklēsis)
Revelation 6–19 repeatedly describes the final outpouring of wrath with language that echoes Isaiah 1:24 and Deuteronomy 32:36:
The martyrs under the altar cry, “How long until You judge and avenge (ekdikēseis) our blood?” (Rev 6:10)
→ They are told to wait until the full number is complete.
When the judgments finally fall, the saints in heaven shout (Rev 19:1–3):
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are His judgments… His judgments have avenged the blood of His servants!”
That final avalanche of wrath is the ultimate divine paraklēsis — the same retributive consolation/vindication that we saw in Genesis 6 with נָחַם.
Final thread from Genesis 6 to Revelation 19
Genesis 6 – God is personally wounded by man’s evil → נָחַם → He is consoled/vindicated by pouring out the Flood.
Isaiah 1:24 – “Ah, I will be consoled (אֶנָּחֵם) from My adversaries and avenge Myself on My enemies.”
Luke 2:25 – Messiah comes as “the Consolation (paraklēsis) of Israel.”
2 Corinthians 1 – God is the “God of all consolation.”
Revelation 18–19 – Babylon falls, the saints are avenged, and God is finally, fully consoled/vindicated by the total destruction of His enemies.
The Greek New Testament did not abandon the deep Hebrew theology of נָחַם.
It carried it forward with perfect fidelity under the words metamelomai, metanoeō (in its OT sense), and especially paraklēsis — the great “Consolation” that is obtained when the holy grief of God is finally relieved through the just punishment of evil.
So yes — the Flood in Genesis 6 and the Lake of Fire in Revelation 20 are the same act:
God, the perfectly righteous and injured Party, obtaining eternal consolation and vindication by pouring out wrath on those who wounded Him. That is the unbroken thread from the Hebrew נָחַם to the Greek παράκλησις.
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