God “Repenting” or “Relenting”
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Gen. 6:6; 1 Sam. 15:11, 35)—human language describing God’s grief over sin and a change in his dealings with people. Genesis says that the LORD regretted making humankind and was grieved to his heart; First Samuel says that he regretted making Saul king. Yet the same chapter declares that the Glory of Israel “will not lie or have regret, for he is not a mortal, that he should have regret” (1 Sam. 15:29).