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Al-A'raf (The Heights)

Verse 138of 206

وَجَٰوَزْنَا بِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍۢ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَىٰٓ أَصْنَامٍۢ لَّهُمْ ۚ قَالُوا۟ يَٰمُوسَى ٱجْعَل لَّنَآ إِلَٰهًۭا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌۭ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌۭ تَجْهَلُونَ﴿١٣٨

Translation (Sahih International)

And We took the Children of Israel across the sea; then they came upon a people intent in devotion to [some] idols of theirs. They said, "O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods." He said, "Indeed, you are a people behaving ignorantly.

Word-by-word meaning

وَجَـٰوَزْنَاwajāwaznāAnd We led across
بِبَنِىٓbibanī(the) Children
إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَis'rāīla(of) Israel
ٱلْبَحْرَl-baḥrathe sea
فَأَتَوْا۟fa-atawThen they came
عَلَىٰʿalāupon
قَوْمٍۢqawmina people
يَعْكُفُونَyaʿkufūnadevoted
عَلَىٰٓʿalāto
أَصْنَامٍۢaṣnāminidols
لَّهُمْ ۚlahumof theirs
قَالُوا۟qālūThey said
يَـٰمُوسَىyāmūsāO Musa
ٱجْعَلij'ʿalMake
لَّنَآlanāfor us
إِلَـٰهًۭاilāhana god
كَمَاkamālike what
لَهُمْlahumthey have
ءَالِهَةٌۭ ۚālihatungods
قَالَqālaHe said
إِنَّكُمْinnakumIndeed, you
قَوْمٌۭqawmun(are) a people
تَجْهَلُونَtajhalūnaignorant

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The Children of Israel safely cross the Sea, but still held on to the Idea of Idol WorshippingAllah mentions the words that the ignorant ones among the Children of Israel uttered to Musa after they crossed the sea and witnessed Allah's Ayat and great power.فَأَتَوْاْ عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ(And they came upon a people devoted to some of their idols (in worship).) Some scholars of Tafsir said that the people mentioned here were from Canaan, or from the tribe of Lakhm.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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