Exodus 32:14
ESV
And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.
NIV
Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
NASB
So the Lord relented of the harm which He said He would do to His people.
CSB
So the Lord relented concerning the disaster he had said he would bring on his people.
NLT
So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.
KJV
And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
NKJV
So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.
What does Exodus 32:14 mean?
Since God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and timeless, He cannot change His mind. There are many options He could choose for His creation. But His attributes make it impossible for Him to be redirected. That God "relents" here is a rhetorical device. He mentioned that He could destroy Israel for their idolatry (Exodus 32:7–10). Here, He does what He always planned to do. He stops mentioning that possibility to Moses.Moses appealed to the Lord based on His promises to prior generations (Exodus 32:11–13). Moses knows it's not possible to change God's mind. What Moses expresses here is probably more a self-soothing, reassuring statement. He explains why he trusts that the Lord would not wipe out Israel after all that's happened. God responds to that exactly as He'd always planned: by ending the conversation on that subject.
This does not mean that Israelite sin will go unaddressed. When he returns, Moses will teach the people harsh lessons (Exodus 32:19–20).
