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)
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After Jonah finally preaches to Nineveh and the entire city repents from the king down, this verse records God's merciful response in sparing them from the threatened judgment.
What Does Jonah 3:10 Mean?
Jonah 3:10 shows that when God saw Nineveh turn from its evil, He relented from the disaster He had warned of and spared the city. After Jonah's brief preaching, the great pagan city had responded with astonishing repentance -- from the king to the lowest citizen. This verse reveals God's response. He "saw their works, that they turned from their evil way." Their repentance was not mere words; it showed itself in changed behavior, and God took notice.
The statement that "God repented of the evil" can puzzle readers, but the meaning is clear in context. The word "evil" here refers to the calamity or disaster God had warned would come -- not to any wrongdoing on God's part. God's "repenting" means He relented, changing His announced course of action in response to the people's change of heart. This reveals something profound about God: His warnings of judgment are often invitations to repent, and He genuinely responds to those who turn to Him. The threatened punishment was conditional, and when the condition changed, so did the outcome. "He did it not" -- the city was spared. The verse displays the mercy that runs through the whole book: God is far more eager to forgive than to destroy, and even a city outside His covenant people finds compassion when it truly turns from sin.
In the Original Language
The Hebrew shub (turned) means to turn back or repent. Nacham, rendered "repented," means to relent, be moved to compassion, or change one's course of action in response.
Cross References
“If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.”
- Jeremiah 18:8
“Turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
- Joel 2:13
“The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas.”
- Luke 11:32
Application
Take heart that genuine repentance, shown in changed actions, moves the heart of a merciful God who is far more ready to forgive than to condemn.