What does Exodus 32:14 mean when it says the Lord repented of the evil He planned to do?
Robert Sungenis explains that the word translated "evil" here means a calamity or punishment rather than moral evil, because it comes as a consequence of evil deeds. He holds it is a different word from the one used of men doing evil, so the verse means God relented of the punishment he was going to bring, not that God does moral evil, which he cannot do.
A viewer asks how God can be said in Exodus 32:14 to have repented of the evil He thought to do, and how He can do evil if He is all good.
Answer
The way that word evil is used here, it is talking about a punishment or a calamity, because it is something that comes as a consequence of your evil deeds, which is why God calls it an evil. But it is not the same connotation, or even the same word, as when men are doing evil. There are a lot of words for men doing evil, but this particular word can be understood as calamity or punishment. So when it says the Lord repented of the evil He thought to do to His people, it means He relented of the calamity or punishment He was going to bring; it does not mean God does moral evil, which He cannot do.