Jonah 3:10
“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Seeing Nineveh turn from its evil, God relents from the disaster He had threatened and spares the city.
What Does Jonah 3:10 Mean?
God responds to Nineveh's repentance. He saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and so He relented from the disaster He had threatened and did not bring it. The word for God repenting does not mean He changed His mind out of error, but that He responded to a changed people, as He had always promised to do. The threatened overthrow becomes, instead, the city's turning to life.
Here is the great heart of God laid open. He is not eager to destroy but to forgive, watching for the first sign of true turning so that He may show mercy. Nineveh's repentance was met by God's relenting, judgment held back because hearts had changed. This is the very thing Jonah feared and the very thing the gospel proclaims: God is gracious and merciful, ready to spare all who turn to Him. The story assures us that genuine repentance never goes unnoticed by the One who delights in mercy more than in judgment.
In the Original Language
nacham (נָחַם), 'repented' -- to relent or be moved with compassion; here God relents from the threatened disaster in response to Nineveh's genuine turning.