The attribute of omniscience, of knowing all things, must be clarified. Christian belief holds that God is timeless. Past, present and future for God can be seen as a whole. God also knows how things would turn out if a different path had been taken at every potential choice-making nexus. Furthermore, a 'prophet' in the Bible meant more than simply 'a predictor of the future'. A prophet was also a messenger and an exhorter. His words were never set in stone. A key verse for this is Jeremiah 18:7-10. With this verse, and the fact that the role of a prophet was more than just as a predictor, it is quite clear why it is pointless to object when God withholds judgment. Following ancient rules of rhetoric and the constraints of oral communication, as well as the nature of the Semitic mindset which typically expressed itself in extremes, it would be less appropriate for a prophet making a popular declaration to delineate possible exceptions in his general proclamation. Such side-tracking would make his message less memorable and effective in an era when retention and effect was far more important in the short term than detailed analysis. Finally, to say that God does not 'change' does not mean that God is static, never does anything, or never says anything. Nor can it be asserted to mean that God does not alter stated plans in reaction to human freewill choices. The references to God not 'changing' cannot hold up such a narrow interpretation.

God specifically states that he spared Nineveh because of their repentance (Jonah 3:10). Jonah 4:11 simply reflects an expression of concern for the people and animals of Nineveh. It gives the reason why God warned the Ninevites in the first place, not why they were spared. Jonah himself apparently understood his warnings as absolute statements, because when God fails to destroy the city as promised, he becomes very angry and frustrated. Jonah had a bad attitude about his role in preaching to the Ninevites. As Jonah himself says: 'I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.' It is clear from Jonah's 'attitude' that his bitterness was the result of God sparing the city even though the Ninevites had repented. We also have a pretty clear contextual clue that the Ninevites took the prophecy of doom as conditional. The text affirms that they believed Jonah. They fast, don sackcloth, repent, and then they wait, hoping for mercy.