Genesis 6:6 And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

◄ Genesis 6:6 ►

New International Version
The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

New Living Translation
So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.

English Standard Version
And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

Berean Standard Bible
And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

King James Bible
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

New King James Version
And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

New American Standard Bible
So the LORD was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

NASB 1995
The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

NASB 1977
And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Amplified Bible
The LORD regretted that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was [deeply] grieved in His heart.

Christian Standard Bible
the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

American Standard Version
And it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Contemporary English Version
He was sorry that he had made them,

English Revised Version
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD was sorry that he had made humans on the earth, and he was heartbroken.

Good News Translation
he was sorry that he had ever made them and put them on the earth. He was so filled with regret

International Standard Version
Then the LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and he was deeply grieved about that.

Majority Standard Bible
And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

NET Bible
The LORD regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended.

New Heart English Bible
And God was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD repented that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

World English Bible
Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
and YHWH regrets that He has made man in the earth, and He grieves Himself—to His heart.

Young's Literal Translation
and Jehovah repenteth that He hath made man in the earth, and He grieveth Himself -- unto His heart.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will lament that he made man in the earth, and he will be grieved at his heart.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart,

Catholic Public Domain Version
repented that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with a sorrow of heart,

New American Bible
the LORD regretted making human beings on the earth, and his heart was grieved.

New Revised Standard Version
And the LORD was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH regretted that he had made Adam in the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
then God laid it to heart that he had made man upon the earth, and he pondered it deeply.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Corruption on the Earth
…5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. 6And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7So the LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Exodus 32:14
So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.

1 Samuel 15:11
“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.

Jeremiah 18:7-10
At any time I might announce that a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed. / But if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I will relent of the disaster I had planned to bring. / And if at another time I announce that I will build up and establish a nation or kingdom, ...

Jonah 3:10
When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them.

Isaiah 63:10
But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy, and He Himself fought against them.

Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

1 Samuel 15:29
Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He should change His mind.”

Psalm 78:40
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!

Psalm 95:10
For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.”

Hosea 11:8
How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred!

Malachi 3:6
“Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.

Luke 19:41-44
As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it / and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. / For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. ...

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Treasury of Scripture

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

repented.

Exodus 32:14
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: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Deuteronomy 32:36
For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.

grieved.

Deuteronomy 5:29
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

Deuteronomy 32:29
O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

Psalm 78:40
How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

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Genesis 6

1. The wickedness of the world, which provoked God's wrath.
8. Noah finds grace.
9. His family line
14. The order, form, dimensions, and building of the ark.

Berean Study Bible

And the LORD
The term "LORD" here is translated from the Hebrew "Yahweh," the personal name of God, emphasizing His covenant relationship with humanity. This name signifies God's eternal presence and His unchanging nature. In the context of Genesis, it underscores the personal involvement of God in the affairs of the world He created. Yahweh is not a distant deity but one who is intimately aware of and responsive to the actions of mankind.

regretted
The Hebrew word used here is "nacham," which can mean to be sorry, to console oneself, or to repent. In this context, it reflects a deep sorrow and a change in God's dealings with humanity due to their pervasive wickedness. It is important to understand that this does not imply a mistake on God's part, as God is omniscient and perfect. Instead, it conveys the profound impact of human sin on God's heart, highlighting His relational nature and the seriousness with which He views sin.

that He had made man
This phrase points back to the creation narrative where God declared His creation "very good" (Genesis 1:31). The creation of man was the pinnacle of God's creative work, made in His image to reflect His glory. The regret expressed here is not about the act of creation itself but about the moral decline of humanity. It serves as a stark reminder of the fall from grace and the consequences of sin, which marred the original goodness of creation.

on the earth
The earth, in Hebrew "erets," is not just a physical location but the stage for God's interaction with humanity. It is where God's purposes are to be fulfilled through His creation. The mention of the earth emphasizes the scope of human sinfulness, which has corrupted the very ground that was meant to be a place of blessing and communion with God. It also foreshadows the coming judgment that will cleanse the earth.

and He was grieved
The Hebrew word "atsab" conveys a deep emotional pain, akin to mourning. This anthropopathic expression helps us understand the depth of God's sorrow over sin. It is a powerful reminder that God is not indifferent to human actions; rather, He is profoundly affected by them. This grief is not just about the disobedience but about the broken relationship between God and humanity, which He desires to restore.

in His heart
The heart, or "leb" in Hebrew, is the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions. God's heart being grieved indicates that His response to sin is not just judicial but deeply personal. It reveals the depth of God's love and His desire for a relationship with His creation. This phrase invites believers to reflect on the personal nature of sin and its impact on their relationship with God, encouraging repentance and a return to His ways.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(6) And it repented the Lord.--If we begin with the omniscience and omnipotence of God as our postulates, everything upon earth must be predestined and immutably fore-ordained. If we start with man's free will, everything will depend upon human choice and action. Both these sides must be true, though our mental powers are too limited to combine them. In Holy Scripture the latter view is kept more prominently in the foreground, because upon it depends human responsibility. Thus here, the overwhelming of mankind by a flood, and the subsequent abbreviation of life, is set before our eyes as painful to the Deity, and contrary to His goodwill towards men, but as necessitated by the extreme depravity of even the chosen Sethite race.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 6. - And it repented the Lord. Yinnahem; from naham, to pant, to groan; Niph., to lament, to grieve bemuse of the misery of others, also because of one's own actions; whence to repent (cf. German, rouen; English, rue: Gesenius); = "it grieved him at his heart." "Verbum nostae pravitatae accommodatum" (Chrysostom); "non est perturbatio, sod judi-cium, quo irrogatur pinna;" and again, "poenitudo Dei est mutandorum immutabilis ratio" (Augustine). "Deus est immutabilis; sed cum ii, quos eurat, mutantur, murat ipse res, prout ils expedit quos eurat" (Justin Martyr: Latin Version). "The repentance here ascribed to God does not properly belong to him, but has reference to our understanding of him (Calvin). "The repentance of God does not presuppose any variableness in his nature or purposes" Keil). "A peculiarly strong anthropathic expression, which, however, presents the truth that God, in consistency with his immutability, assumes a changed position in respect to changed man" (Lange). That he had made man on the earth. i.e. that he had created man at all, and in particular that he had settled him on the earth. And it grieved him at his heart. A touching indication that God did not hate man, and a clear proof that, though the Divine purpose is immutable, the Divine nature is not impassible.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

And the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

regretted
וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם (way·yin·nā·ḥem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5162: To sigh, breathe strongly, to be sorry, to pity, console, rue, to avenge

that
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

He had made
עָשָׂ֥ה (‘ā·śāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

man
הָֽאָדָ֖ם (hā·’ā·ḏām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

on the earth,
בָּאָ֑רֶץ (bā·’ā·reṣ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

and it grieved Him
וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב (way·yiṯ·‘aṣ·ṣêḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6087: To carve, fabricate, fashion, to worry, pain, anger

in
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

His heart.
לִבּֽוֹ׃ (lib·bōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

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OT Law: Genesis 6:6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made (Gen. Ge Gn)