O Children of Israel, remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds [i.e., peoples].
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
يَـٰبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ
(O Children of Israel,)
Root بني — yes · 184 times in the Quran
يَـٰبَنِىٓword 1
Vocative Particle · حرف نداءA vocative particle is a calling word like يَا 'O!' placed before a naming word to address someone directly. The prefix يَٰ here opens the call: 'O Children of Israel'. L4 · R8
Noun · اسمA noun is a naming word for a person, place, thing, or group. بَنِىٓ names the children — the sons and descendants — being addressed. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. The sound masculine plural carries its role in its ending — ـُونَ for the nominative (the 'subject form', with the ḍammah ـُ sound), ـِينَ for the accusative and genitive (the 'object' and 'of' forms); بَنِىٓ carries the ـِي of that ending, its ن dropped because the word is chained to 'Israel' in an 'of' pairing: 'Children OF Israel'. L2 · R6
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the landed-on ending, usually shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. For this kind of plural the accusative shows itself instead in the ending ـِينَ, whose ن has here dropped away for the 'of' chain, leaving بَنِى: the called ones stand in that accusative role. L2 · R11
Vocative · المُنَادَىThe vocative is the person or group being called after يَا 'O!'. بَنِىٓ is that called one, formed by يَا plus the naming word: 'O Children…' — the descendants of Israel addressed all at once. L21 · R2
إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَword 2
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ is a proper name: '(of) Israel!'. L1 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the owner's ending in an 'of' phrase, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ is a non-Arabic proper name, one of the partially flexible words that never take that kasrah and wear a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke ABOVE the last letter — in its place; the fathah ـَ you see on its لَ is this word's genitive dress. L2 · R14
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the second — the owner — is always in the genitive, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ is that owner-half of 'Children of Israel'; being a foreign proper name it shows the genitive with a fathah ـَ instead of the kasrah. L5 · R5
ٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتِىَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ
(…remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you)
Root ذكر — recollection, admonition, remembrance · 292 times in the Quran
Root نعم — to bestow favor, blessing; cattle, livestock; excellent · 140 times in the Quran
ٱذْكُرُوا۟word 3
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. ٱذْكُرُ is a command: 'Remember', from the root ذكر: recollection, admonition, remembrance. L1 · R7
Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a direct command addressed to 'you', formed from the present-tense verb by removing its prefix and adding a helping ٱ when what remains starts with a vowelless letter. ٱذْكُرُوا۟ shows that helping ٱ, commanding a group: 'remember!' — the ending وا۟ pointing the order at 'you all'. L10 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. وا۟ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — ٱذْكُرُوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ on ٱذْكُرُوا۟ is that doer, 'you all'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
نِعْمَتِىَword 4
Noun · اسمA noun is a naming word for a person, thing, or idea. نِعْمَتِ names a favor — a blessing — from the root نعم, to bestow favor, blessing. L1 · R6
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as 'she', typically marked by a ة at its end. The base word here is نِعْمَة 'favor', ending in that ة; when an ending is glued on, the ة is written as an open ت — the تِ you see in نِعْمَتِىَ. L2 · R1
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, usually shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. On نِعْمَتِىَ the last letter is claimed by the 'My' ending ىَ, so no fathah appears on the word itself — the accusative is the role it fills as what is to be remembered. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter. 'My favor' is what the remembering must land on; with the 'My' ending claiming the word's tail, the accusative here is the role rather than a visible mark. L9 · R3
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'my' glued onto the end of another word. The ending ىَ on نِعْمَتِىَ stands for 'My': 'MY favor'. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains an owner onto the thing owned, and the owner carries the genitive — the owner's ending, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. The ending ىَ 'My' is that owner glued onto نِعْمَتِ: 'the favor of Me'. A pronoun keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries. L5 · R5
ٱلَّتِىٓword 5
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word like 'who' or 'which' that hooks a whole describing sentence onto whoever or whatever it points to. ٱلَّتِىٓ · 'which' is the feminine singular form — used when it points to one person or thing Arabic treats as 'she'. Its shape is fixed: this word never changes its ending to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
Adjective · صفةAn adjective is a describing word that comes after its noun. ٱلَّتِىٓ, with its clause 'that I bestowed upon you', follows 'My favor' and describes it, agreeing with it as one, feminine, and definite; its own written shape is fixed. L7 · R1
أَنْعَمْتُword 6
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. أَنْعَمْ speaks of an action already carried out: 'I bestowed', from the root نعم: to bestow favor, blessing; cattle, livestock; excellent. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed — and it shows who by a small ending fastened to the verb's tail. On أَنْعَمْتُ that ending is تُ, telling exactly who is meant: 'I bestowed', from the root نعم: to bestow favor, blessing; cattle, livestock; excellent. L8 · R2
Form IV Verb · أَفْعَلَA Form IV verb is a verb stamped into the pattern that adds a hamza to the front of its three root letters — the way سَلِمَ 'was safe' becomes أَسْلَمَ 'submitted' — often giving the sense of making or causing the action. أَنْعَمْ carries that added hamza at its front: 'I bestowed', from the root نعم: to bestow favor, blessing; cattle, livestock; excellent. L12 · R5
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. تُ · 'me/my' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — أَنْعَمْتُ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending تُ on أَنْعَمْتُ is that doer, 'I' — Allah, the giver of the favor; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
عَلَيْكُمْword 7
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. عَلَيْ · 'on/upon' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. عَلَيْ · 'on/upon' is one of these relation-words — it is عَلَىٰ 'on' in the shape it takes when a suffix is fastened to its end. L4 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'me / us / them' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. كُمْ · 'you all/your' hangs on the little relation-word in عَلَيْكُمْ, governed by the word it is fastened to. L3 · R6
Allah reminds the Children of Israel of the favors He granted their fathers and grandfathers: He showed preference to them by sending them Messengers from among them and revealing Books to them, more so than any of the other previous nations.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:47
So far: “O Children of Israel, remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you”
وَأَنِّى فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
(…and that I preferred you over the worlds [i.e., peoples].)
Root فضل — to favor, excel; bounty, grace · 104 times in the Quran
Root علم — to know, knowledge · 854 times in the Quran
وَأَنِّىword 8
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَأَنِّى is a conjunction — a small joining word meaning 'and' — linking what follows to what came before; the word it joins in must stand in the same grammatical case as its partner before the joint — the same role in the sentence, even when the two words write that case with different endings. L4 · R4
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعلأَنَّ 'that' — carrying the doubling shaddah ـّ, a small w-shaped mark, seen here on the نِّ — is a particle of the family حرف مشبه بالفعل that introduces content mid-sentence with the same grammar as إِنَّ: it pushes its topic into the accusative, the fathah ـَ form. Joined with 'me' it reads أَنِّى: 'that I…'. L15 · R4
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word; glued to a particle, it is governed by that particle. The ending ى on وَأَنِّى stands for 'I' — the topic أَنَّ speaks about, held in the accusative role, the fathah ـَ form; the pronoun's written shape is fixed, so no fathah appears. L3 · R6
فَضَّلْتُكُمْword 9
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. فَضَّلْ speaks of an action already carried out: '[I] preferred you', from the root فضل: to favor, excel; bounty, grace. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed — and it shows who by a small ending fastened to the verb's tail. On فَضَّلْتُكُمْ that ending is تُ, telling exactly who is meant: '[I] preferred you', from the root فضل: to favor, excel; bounty, grace. L8 · R2
Form II Verb · فَعَّلَA Form II verb is identified by the shaddah ـّ — the small w-shaped doubling mark — on its middle root letter. فَضَّلْتُكُمْ carries that shaddah on the ضَّ, the middle letter of its root فضل: to grant preference, to set above. L12 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'I / you / he' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. تُ · 'me/my' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — فَضَّلْتُكُمْ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending تُ on فَضَّلْتُكُمْ is that doer, 'I' — Allah; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter. The ending كُمْ 'you all' is that object: the preferring landed on you. A pronoun keeps its fixed written shape, so no fathah appears — the accusative is the role it fills. L9 · R5
عَلَىword 10
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. عَلَى · 'on/upon' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. عَلَى · 'on/upon' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَword 11
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. The letter after it is a 'moon' letter — a letter not made in the same part of the mouth as ل — so the ل of the prefix keeps its own sound, both written and heard, resting with the sukūn ـْ (a small circle written above the letter): ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. عَٰلَمِينَ is such a naming word: 'the worlds', from the root علم: to know, knowledge. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. Even as a plural, ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is a masculine noun; its ending is the 'sound' plural ending Arabic reserves for masculine nouns. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more of something. The sound masculine plural carries its role in its ending — ـُونَ for the nominative (the 'subject form', with the ḍammah ـُ sound), ـِينَ for the accusative and genitive (the 'object' and 'of' forms); ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ closes with exactly such an ending: not one, but a whole group. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the 'after-of / after-preposition' family of endings a noun — a naming word — can wear; on most nouns it is shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the final letter. The sound masculine plural carries its role in its ending — ـُونَ for the nominative (the 'subject form', with the ḍammah ـُ sound), ـِينَ for the accusative and genitive (the 'object' and 'of' forms); ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ wears its genitive inside that shared plural ending. L2 · R7
Abu Al-'Aliyah said 'that I preferred you over the 'Alamin' means the kingship, Messengers and Books granted to them, instead of the other kingdoms that existed during their time — "for every period there is a nation."
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:47
So far: “O Children of Israel, remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds [i.e., peoples].”