The depiction of God experiencing profound regret and sadness presents a deep theological challenge, as He is omniscient, perfect, and unchanging. The primary approach among commentators is that the Torah speaks in the language of men, utilizing human emotions to make God's actions comprehensible to the human mind [רמב״ן, אבן עזרא, רד״ק, רבנו בחיי, רלב״ג, קאסוטו, שטיינזלץ]. Just as a person rejoices when things are good and is saddened when they are bad, the text describes God in a similar manner. This divine sadness stands in stark contrast to the earlier reality where God rejoiced in His works [ספורנו, רד״ק]. Furthermore, references to God's heart are not physical descriptions, but rather an allegory for the source of His thought, will, and divine providence [רבנו בחיי, תולדות יצחק].
When addressing the concept of God's regret, commentators offer several distinct perspectives. One approach clarifies that this does not imply God made a mistake, as the original creation was entirely perfect. Rather, humanity, endowed with free will, ruined the natural order [מלבי״ם]. God's decrees and promises are contingent upon human actions; once humanity corrupted its path, God's conduct toward them shifted from the attribute of mercy to the attribute of strict justice [רש״י, חזקוני, פענח רזא, ברטנורא, ביאור יש״ר]. Conversely, others interpret this apparent regret as an expression of profound compassion. Because humans are His handiwork, God had mercy on them and extended His patience for an additional one hundred and twenty years, granting them a window of time to repent [הכתב והקבלה].
A completely different perspective views this divine response not as regret, but as consolation. God found comfort in the fact that He had created humanity on earth from lower, physical materials rather than in the heavens. Had man been created as a celestial being, his sins would have caused the angels and upper realms to rebel as well [רש״י, מזרחי, רא״ש, גור אריה]. The earthly, unrefined nature of this material is precisely what caused humanity to be drawn toward physical lusts and sins [כלי יקר, העמק דבר]. Additionally, some suggest that God found comfort in having already prepared graves within the earth for mankind [תורה תמימה].
The description of God being deeply saddened is widely understood as an expression of mourning. God mourned the loss of His handiwork, much like a king who mourns the loss of his own son [רש״י, רד״ק, דעת זקנים]. This raises a natural question: if God knew from the beginning that humanity would sin and ultimately be destroyed, why create them at all? The commentators explain that just as a person rejoices at the birth of a child despite knowing that the child will eventually die—because a time of joy is for joy, and a time of mourning is for mourning—God did not refrain from creating humanity. He created the world for the sake of the righteous individuals who would eventually emerge throughout the generations [רש״י, רד״ק, גור אריה].
Other interpretations shift the focus of this sadness away from God and onto humanity. According to one view, God decided in His heart to break the strength of humanity, imposing sadness upon them as a punishment for their sins [רש״י, גור אריה, נתינה לגר]. Alternatively, this sadness reflects the deep corruption and moral decay that had taken root within the thoughts and heart of mankind itself [הכתב והקבלה]. A more unique approach suggests that the "heart" mentioned in the text actually refers to the righteous people of the generation, primarily Noah. Just as a physical heart is the center of a body's life, the righteous individual is the heart of the world. While God mourned the passing of the righteous from previous generations, He found solace by focusing His will entirely on Noah, the single remaining righteous person who justified the continued existence of the world [העמק דבר, הכתב והקבלה].
Finally, these events present a striking and tragic contrast to the hopes of earlier generations. When Lamech named his son Noah, he expressed a desperate hope that the child would bring comfort from their hard work and the sadness of their manual labor. Humanity longed for relief from their earthly toil, yet in a profound reversal, it was their own moral corruption that ultimately brought sadness to the Creator, causing Him to reconsider the very making of mankind [קאסוטו].