God repented in Genesis 6:6 means He was sorry He had made man on the earth and was grieved at heart over man's great wickedness.
Les Feldick puts it plainly: by Genesis 6 the entire human race had become so wicked and corrupt that God said He was sorry He had made man in the first place. That sorrow, expressed as repentance, came because the earth was filled with violence and rotten to the core. It drove God to declare the judgment of the flood — though Noah found grace.
Genesis 6:6 — This is the verse in question, where God says it repented Him that He had made man and that He was grieved at His heart.
In Genesis 6:5, before the word "repented" appears, Scripture reports: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Verse 6 then states: "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." In verse 7 God declares He will destroy man and the creatures because "it repenteth me that I have made them." Genesis 6:11–12 describes the world that prompted this: "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." Yet verse 8 adds: "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."
Les Feldick says that the situation by Genesis 6 was that "the whole human race had become so wicked, had become so corrupt, that God actually got to the place where He said He was sorry that He had made man in the first place, and that He was going to have to do something, and it would be drastic." He points to Genesis 6:5's phrase "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" to show how corrupt human thinking had become. Les also draws attention to the conditions that produced God's regret: with no civil law or government to maintain order and no system of worship to maintain a relationship with God, the earth was filled with violence and rotten to the core. God saw only one remedy — to utterly destroy them. Even then, grace remained: Noah and his family were saved through the flood. In a related teaching on Romans 11:29, Les explains that repentance is a change of mind, but when it comes to God's dealing with Israel, God has not changed His mind.
Genesis 6:5–6 places the word "repented" right beside the description of man's wickedness and every imagination being only evil continually. Les Feldick sums up God's response by saying that God "was sorry that He had made man in the first place." The verse itself pairs repentance with grief: "and it grieved him at his heart." This shows God's heartfelt sorrow over what His creation had become.
According to Les, by Genesis 6 there was no civil law or government, no system of worship, and the earth was filled with violence and was corrupt. God saw only one remedy — to destroy mankind. Genesis 6:7 records God's declaration to destroy man and the creatures, while Genesis 6:8 shows grace: "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." Les notes that Noah and his family were the ones God was able to save and bring through the flood.
In a separate teaching on Romans 11:29, Les says repentance is not falling down on your face weeping; it is a change of mind. He then applies that to God's dealing with Israel: has He changed His mind? No — the gifts and calling of God are without changing His mind. The Genesis 6 passage, however, uses the language of sorrow and grief, which Les expresses as God being sorry He made man.
Humanity's Evil Imaginations
Les reads Genesis 6:5 and emphasizes that every "imagination" of man's heart was only evil continually, showing the moral condition that preceded God's repentance.
God's Sorrowful Regret
Les plainly teaches that the whole human race had become so wicked and corrupt that God said He was sorry He had made man and would have to do something drastic.
God's Unchanging Purposes
Les defines repentance as a change of mind but says that God has not changed His mind regarding Israel's gifts and calling.
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Corruption and the Only Remedy
Les explains that because the earth was filled with violence and was corrupt, God's only remedy was to destroy mankind, yet He saved Noah and his family by grace.
Genesis 6:5: And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
This verse immediately precedes God's repentance and states the reason: man's thoughts were continually evil.
Genesis 6:6: And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
This is the key verse that directly answers the question—God repented and was grieved at heart.
Genesis 6:7: And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
God announces the flood judgment because His repentance over making man led to a devastating consequence.
Genesis 6:8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Even in the midst of judgment, grace was shown to Noah.
Genesis 6:11: The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
This summarizes the condition of the world that brought about God's sorrow and judgment.
Romans 11:29: For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Les uses this verse to show that God has not changed His mind regarding His purposes for Israel.
No. The verse says God was grieved at His heart over having made man, not that He committed sin. Les Feldick paraphrases it as God being sorry that He had made man because the human race had become so wicked and corrupt.
The same grief continues into verse 7. God had seen man's heart only evil continually and the earth filled with violence. Les says God's only remedy was to destroy them, though He preserved Noah and his family by grace.
In a related teaching on Romans 11:29, Les describes repentance as a change of mind and then asks whether God has changed His mind concerning Israel. He answers "No." God's gifts and calling are without repentance. The Genesis 6 language expresses God's sorrow and grief over man's wickedness.
Watch the Teaching: The Days of Noah: Understanding the "Sons of God" & Coming Judgment