Why so extreme? Gen 6:5 seems excessively extreme. It infuriates many a man. But Gen 6:5 always keeps me in check because it applies to me 100% of the time. It is not that I do evil or even think evil all the time, however you define evil. I would say that most of the time I do not do or think evil, at least not consciously, perhaps like most people, Christian or non-Christian. So how would Gen 6:5 apply to me 100% of the time? I previously addressed it here: Sin, Faith, Salvation (Gen 6:1-14).
What does Gen 6:5 mean? The Hebrew "yeser" from Gen 6:5 is translated as "inclination" (NIV), "intention" (ESV), or "imagination" (KJV). "Yeser" is derived from the potter's verb "to form" (cf. Gen 2:7), and it implies design or purpose. It is alluding to the direction of our heart, regardless of what we are thinking or doing. God's "severe" indictment and/or assessment is that our heart is going astray, even when we are doing good or doing our best.
