Exegetical Study of Genesis 6:7: The Repentance of God

ISSUE: Vol.5  No.3 September 2019 Article 3  pp.26-31
AUTHOR: Caleb Olayiwola Alu
DOI : 10.32051/09301903

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ABSTRACT

One of the widely misunderstood and avoided subjects by theologians and preachers alike is the doctrine of God’s repentance. The question remains, can God repent? What does the word mean in this context? Does the repentance of God suggest His mistakes and limitation? If God does repent, what theological implication does it have? The study attempts an exegetical study of Genesis 6:7 to arrive at the theological and contextual meaning of. When God is the subject, repent is a poor English translation, for repent carries the idea of remorse for wrongdoing. Thus, no English equivalent proves satisfactory. We are now in a position to affirm that in Genesis 6:6-7 has nothing to do with regrets, grief, or being sorry. Rather, God is enforcing a system of checks and balances as part of the equilibrium that He is maintaining in the world. Human beings can repent, God cannot. He was comforted in Himself and Noah found favor in His eyes.

CALEB OLAYIWOLA ALU is a Researcher and Pastor with Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Biblical and Theological Studies (Old Testament) from the Adventist University of Africa, Nairobi, Kenya. Email: aluc@aua.ac.ke

Alu, Caleb O. “Exegetical Study of Genesis 6:7: The Repentance of God.” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 5, no.3 (2019): 26-31. https://doi.org/10.32051/09301903

© 2020 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).