I

The “evil way” does not refer to a handful of evil acts,

but to the evil source from which people’s behavior springs.

“Turning away from one’s evil way” means

that people won’t commit these actions again.

In other words, they will never again behave in this evil way;

the method, source, purpose, intent and principle of their actions

have all changed;

they will never again use those methods and principles

to bring enjoyment and happiness to their hearts.

The “abandon” in “abandon the violence in one’s hands”

means to lay down or to cast aside, to fully break with the past

and to never turn back again, to never turn back again.

The fact that the people of Nineveh abandoned the violence in their hands

proved and represented that they had truly repented,

they had truly repented.

II

God observes people’s outward appearances as well as their hearts.

When God indeed observed

that the people of Nineveh had truly repented in their hearts

and at the same time,

He observed that they had left their evil ways

and abandoned the violence in their hands,

He changed His heart.

This is to say

that these people’s conduct and behavior and various ways of doing things,

as well as their true confession and repentance of sins in their hearts,

caused God to change His heart, to change His intentions,

to retract His decision and not to punish or destroy them.

Thus, the people of Nineveh achieved a different outcome for themselves.

They redeemed their own lives and at the same time

they won God’s mercy and tolerance,

at which point God also retracted His wrath.

from The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique II