The JPS Tanakh more closely offers "regret", as does the NWT, but the NWT gives better treatment to the associate verb (in Hebrew, aspect is grammaticalized and but not tense) presenting "for I shall certainly feel regret …" versus the JPS's "For I regret …" [I'll save that for some other discussion].
None seems to be entirely adequate, though each offers some portion of the concrete sense of the Hebrew word naham. The JPS and the NWT appears to be the closest with "regret" (though relent would not be an entirely bad choice if not for its implication of leniency for simple leniency sake). I do take note of the slim difference between sorry [www.answers.com] and regret [www.answers.com], though regret tends to imply a more adequate sense of loss and personal distress about a desire for things which should have or could be different - more towards situational and circumstantial empathy, providing comfort, support, quite often absent of any personal cause or attribution of mistake, and most often meaning the mere opposite of pleasurable satisfaction and rejoicing – versus the ordinary sympathy commonly associated with being sorry in an apologetic sense for a personally accepted mistake.
But sorry, repent, relent, and even regret, do not seem altogether adequate for the concrete application of the Hebrew word naham.Naham is never used of man's "repentance" towards the will of God, the word used is always shub – meaning to turn, as in turn away from and find the correct path.M'Clintock and Strong's Cyclopedia offers this, "God himself is said to repent; but this can only be understood of his altering his conduct towards his creatures, either in the bestowing of good or infliction of evil – which change in the divine conduct is founded on a change in his creatures; and thus speaking after the manner of men, God is said to repent".
In fact the origin of the root of naham reflects the idea of "breathing deeply", hence the physical display of one's feelings and emotions, usually compassion, empathy, or comfort. The root occurs in Ugaritic, and is used almost exclusive as "to console or comfort and support", and it is noted in the Hebrew proper names such as Nehemiah [Jah comforts], Nahum, [comforter, encourager]and Menehem [one who comforts].
The Hebrew word was likely quite well known to every pious Jew living in exile as he recalled the opening words of Isaiah's "Book of Consolation", reading "nahamu nahamu 'ammi" [comfort ye, comfort ye, my people]. People were comforted (naham) for the death of a child (2 Samuel 12:24), a teenager (Genesis 37:35), a mother (Genesis 24:67), a wife (Genesis 38:12) et al.Of some interest, it is noted that God's "compassion (nihum, a derative of naham) grows warm and tender" for his people (Hos 11:8).
God's righteous "standards" remain constant, stable, unchanging, free from fluctuation (Mal 3:6, James 1:17). No circumstances can cause him to change his mind about these standards; to turn from them, or to abandon them. However, as indicated by M'Clintock and Strong's blurb above, the attitudes and reactions of his intelligent creatures toward those "standards" and towards God's application of them can be good (tov) or bad (ra).
If good, this is pleasing to God; if bad, it causes regret [naham]. The coming of regret stems from compassion and empathy towards his creation, and is always associated when used of God to a simultaneous promise to re-establish, re-build, and restore – to make or assign new heirs to his creations.Such was the case in the deluge – regret [naham] set in, and a remnant was offered salvation from the coming disaster if they would act accordingly (build an ark); such was the case with Moses when regret set in regarding those God had provided escape from Egypt and God had decided to re-establish from Moses alone; such also was the case when a group of those who remained in Jerusalem (to undergo destruction by divine judgment) had apparently decided to "turn-back" and requested Jeremiah intercede on their behalf pleading that "in behalf od all this remnant" that "Jehovah your God tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do" – Jer 42:2-3.
And it was this action which brought God to naham – the attitude and reactions of the remnant in Jerusalem – and to offer through naham a new start, with safety, rather than destruction in Jerusalem, requiring only that they remain in Jerusalem, and not flee to Egypt.
In the paleo-Hebrew, naham is comprised of three characters: first the nun, [n] which is the ancient pictograph of a seed sprout, representing the concrete ideas of continuance to a new generation, perpetuation, offspring and heir; and second the hhets, [ch, hh] the ancient pictograph of the nomadic tent wall, the function of which was to provide protection to the inhabitants inside from the elements; and lastly the mah, or mem, [m] an ancient picture of waves of water, meaning liquid, water sea and mighty, often chaotic and unpredictable, strife with raw emotion emanating from the heart.
Combined [nchm, or nacham, naham] gives the best sense of the Hebrew concrete meaning, to provide divine protection, like a wall, removed from chaotic for the purpose of preservation of those to become heir to his very kingdom. The very thing he offers to the remnant through Jeremiah in Jerusalem. To the degree that mankind "repents and returns" [shub], so to does Jehovah regret [naham] – offers protection and a kingdom to his creation, those of his seed. Shub brings no apology from God, but it does bring naham, comfort, preservation, a kingdom - or as Jeremiah 42:10b, c puts it:
"I will also build you up and I shall not tear you down, and I will plant you and I shall not uproot you; for I shall certainly feel regret [naham] over the calamity that I have caused to you."
