Notwithstanding
the overall effort to be driven more by a desire not to concede any ground to those who hold to contingent
foreknowledge, the conditional nature of prophecy and the like, the following from an Evangelical apologist about
God “relenting” in the book of Jonah is rather insightful:
God Relented
Following the Ninevites’ repentance and
petitions to God for mercy in response to Jonah’s message, the narrative
informs us of God’s response to the Ninevites. “When God saw what they did, how
they turned from their evil way, God relented [wayyināhem] of the disaster [‘al-hārā‘āh]
that he had said he would do [’asher
dibber la‘asôt] to them, and he did not do it” (Jonah 3:10). This statement
clearly alludes to the statement in Exodus regarding God’s response to Moses’
intercession for the Israelites: “And the LORD relented [wayyināhem] from the disaster [‘al-hārā‘āh]
that he had spoken of bringing [’asher
dibber la‘asôt] on his people” (Exod. 32:14, cf. 32:12). The allusion adds
even further confirmation that the account in Jonah 3 is deliberately comparing
the sparing of Nineveh from judgment to the sparing of Israel from judgment in
the wilderness
The verb for “relent” used in both passages, nāham, is sometimes translated “repent”
or “be sorry.” In these and other passages God is the subject of this verb
(Gen. 6:6-7; Judg. 2:18; 1 Sam. 15:11, 35; 2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Chron. 21:15; Ps.
106:45; Jer. 15:6; 18:8, 10; 20:16; 26:3, 13, 19; 42:10; Joel 2:13, 14; Amos
7:3, 6; Zech. 8:14; on the other hand, see Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Ps. 110:4;
Jer. 4:28; Ezek. 24:14). From these texts arises the disputed question as to
whether God can literally regret or be sorry for doing something, or can
“repent” of doing or of intending to do something. The dispute results from
confusing words with concepts. God can be the subject of the verb nāham, but that verb has varying
connotations depending on context. In most of the texts in which God is the
subject of the verb, the point is that God can and does, when he sees fit, do
otherwise than what he had previously stated. Such statements do not mean that
God “changed his mind” (an inaccurate translation used in some versions) or
that he was caught by surprise by people’s actions and so forced to abandon or
change his plans. Rather, they mean that God can and does take into
consideration what his creatures do and responds to them appropriately and as
he sees fit. If God could not do this, he would not be personal.
God’s action of sparing the Ninevites clearly
shows that he understood his message
to them through Jonah as giving them an opportunity to repent. (Robert M.
Bowman, Jonah's
Alleged False Prophecy, pp. 8-9)
For more, be
sure to read the discussion of the contingent nature of prophecies at:
