Some understand this to mean that God accepted Israel’s repentance as real, and therefore in his compassion he could bear Israel’s present misery no longer. But we do not read that God relented and forgave them; we do not read of a promise of deliverance. So it does not mean that God was pleased by their repentance. It is far less positive than that. Literally, it says, His soul became short with the misery of Israel.
The same expression is found in Judges 16:16, where Samson’s soul becomes short with Delilah. Samson became weary of her badgering him for his secret. That means he became exasperated. The situation became intolerable. That is what is happening in Judges 10:16, in the Lord’s soul. His soul, his heart became weary, impatient, exasperated. He sees this as an intolerable situation.1 Israel’s current efforts toward repentance only amount to a conversion of convenience, and the Lord recognizes it as such—he has seen this routine too often. Hence his refusal to save Israel again.2 And after verse 16 he becomes silent. It will be some time before we see what he will do to end his silence.
16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.