Translation:
And We gave (Clear) Warning to the Children of Israel 2173 in the Book, that twice 2174 would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)!
And We gave (Clear) Warning to the Children of Israel 2173 in the Book, that twice 2174 would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)!
Translation:
And we made [this] known to the children of Israel through revelation: 5 Twice, indeed, will you spread corruption on earth and will indeed become grossly overbearing! 6
And we made [this] known to the children of Israel through revelation: 5 Twice, indeed, will you spread corruption on earth and will indeed become grossly overbearing! 6
Commentary:
5 Lit., "in the revelation" - here evidently used in the generic sense of the word, and probably applying to predictions contained in the Torah (Leviticus xxvi, 14-39 and Deuteronomy xxviii, 15-68) as well as the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, John and Jesus.
6 Since both the Bible and the Qur'an mention that the children of Israel rebelled against the law of God on many occasions, there is every reason to assume that the expression "twice" (marratayn) does not refer to two single instances but, rather, to two distinct, extended periods of their history.
5 Lit., "in the revelation" - here evidently used in the generic sense of the word, and probably applying to predictions contained in the Torah (Leviticus xxvi, 14-39 and Deuteronomy xxviii, 15-68) as well as the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, John and Jesus.
6 Since both the Bible and the Qur'an mention that the children of Israel rebelled against the law of God on many occasions, there is every reason to assume that the expression "twice" (marratayn) does not refer to two single instances but, rather, to two distinct, extended periods of their history.
2173 The Book is the revelation given to the Children of Israel. Here it seems to refer to the burning words of Prophets like Isaiah. For example, see Isaiah, chap.
24 or Isaiah 5:20-30, or Isaiah 3:16-26.
2174 What are the two occasions referred to? It may be that "twice" is a figure of speech for "more than once", "often". Or it may be that the two occasions refer to (1) the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., when the Jews were carried off into captivity, and (2) the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in A.C. 70, after which the Temple was never rebuilt. See n.
2168 above. On both occasions it was a judgement of Allah for the sins of the Jews, their backslidings, and their arrogance.