CAN GOD CHANGE HIS MIND?

 

There are passages that say God changed His mind (Gen 6:6–7; Ex 32:14; Jer 26:19; 1 Sam 15:11; 2 Sam 24:16; Jonah 3:10; etc.). The challenge is how to reconcile these with the truth that God does not change (Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29; Mal 3:6; James 1:17; etc.). Does it mean He realized that what He had done or planned to do was wrong? But He is also all-knowing (Ps. 147:5), which makes it puzzling that He would seem surprised by events and then suddenly change what He was going to do. In dealing with this issue, we should understand several things:

The Hebrew term nacham was used in the OT to refer to God changing His mind. According to Strong’s Lexicon, it could mean “to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret.” That’s why most English Bibles translate it as “relent” when the passage refers to God, while the KJV used the word “repent.” The meaning of a word can shift over time, which is why using “repent” for nacham today may be confusing—it could imply that God made mistakes and “repented” of His deeds. But a perfectly holy God cannot make mistakes, so He has no need to repent of anything. If this Hebrew word cannot mean that God did or planned something wrong, then what does it mean?

Nacham was used figuratively in the passages where it appears. We call this figure of speech anthropopathism, where human thoughts and feelings are attributed to God. God’s thoughts are different from ours (Isa 55:8–9), and it’s impossible for us to fully understand His mind (read 1 Cor 2:11) unless He reveals it to us in ways we can grasp. By comparing God’s mind to human thinking, the Bible helps us understand, in part, how He works.

So, back to the question: Can God change His mind? Yes and No. Let me explain.

YES, but not in the sense that God acquired new information that made Him change His mind. In other words, it’s not like, “Now I know! I’ve changed My mind!” God knows everything, so there is nothing new for Him to learn. Rather, nacham means God choosing a particular course of action—“often as a response to a change in a person’s attitude or a change in a situation.” (W.E. Vine). People or situations change, and so God changes His response accordingly.

NO, if we’re being technical. God does not truly change His mind, since He already knows all that could happen, including what He Himself would do. But we interpret God’s choice of action as if He had changed His mind. The Bible uses nacham figuratively, because that’s the simplest way we can understand His response to events. Let’s look at some examples:

In Gen 6:6 it says, “And the Lord regretted (nacham) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” This doesn’t mean He realized He made a mistake when He created man—for He knows that everything He created is very good (Gen 1:31). Nor does it mean He was caught off guard by human wickedness, because nothing surprises God. Rather, people changed—they became corrupt (Gen 6:5). That demanded that God change His attitude toward them. It’s like parents being hurt when their child lies to them, even though they already knew before he was born that he would eventually lie. Did God change? No—but man did.

Jonah 3:10 says, “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented (nacham) of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.” God was about to punish Nineveh, but they repented—and God changed His response! Did God know in advance they would repent? Without a doubt, yes. God did not actually change His mind, for He knew beforehand they would repent. But from the human perspective, it looked like God changed His mind. In reality, it was not He who changed—they did. God’s response to sin is judgment, but His response to repentance is always forgiveness. He still hates sin, yet He remains merciful to those who repent.

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God also did change His mind toward believers. Before we were reconciled to Him, we were considered His enemies (Rom 5:10), but today He treats us as children (Gal 3:26). From the start, God already knew who would belong to Him (2 Tim 2:19; Eph 1:4). Even the moment we responded in faith did not surprise Him. When our response to God changed, His dealings with us changed as well. In this sense, He changed His mind. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn 1:12). 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴.