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 naming word — it covers proper names. إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ is the proper name 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 tied to a time. ٱذْكُرُ names an action — remembering — 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 glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on ٱذْكُرُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all' — those commanded to remember. L3 · R7
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 · R7
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 'which' that hooks a whole describing sentence onto a specific naming word, matching it in gender and number. ٱلَّتِىٓ is the form for one 'she'-word, matching نِعْمَة 'favor', and it hooks on the sentence 'I bestowed upon you'. 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 tied to a time. أَنْعَمْ names an action — bestowing favor — from the root نعم, to bestow favor, blessing. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb carries its person marker as an ending glued to the verb's tail. On أَنْعَمْتُ that ending is تُ, the 'I' marker — note the sukūn ـْ, the small circle above the مْ, closing the verb before it — and the أَ at the front belongs to the verb's Form IV pattern, not to any present-tense prefix: 'I bestowed'. L8 · R2
Form IV Verb · أَفْعَلَA Form IV verb is identified by a hamza added to the front of the root letters in the past tense, usually giving a causing sense. أَنْعَمْتُ opens with exactly that added hamza أَ before its root نعم: to CAUSE blessing to come upon someone — 'I bestowed'. L12 · R5
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending تُ on أَنْعَمْتُ is such a suffix, standing for 'I'. L3 · R7
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 with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. عَلَيْ is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. عَلَى 'on/upon', written عَلَيْ before its ending, is one of the common prepositions: bestowed 'upon you'. L4 · R2
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 كُمْ on عَلَيْكُمْ stands for 'you all' — those the favor came upon. 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 عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one item to another. The prefix وَ joins this second thing to remember onto 'My favor'. 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 tied to a time. فَضَّلْ names an action — preferring, favoring — from the root فضل: to favor, excel; bounty, grace. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb carries its person marker as an ending glued to the verb's tail. On فَضَّلْتُكُمْ that ending is تُ, the 'I' marker — note the sukūn ـْ, the small circle above the لْ, closing the verb before it: 'I preferred'. 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 glued onto the end of a verb. فَضَّلْتُكُمْ carries two: the تُ standing for 'I', the One who preferred, and كُمْ standing for 'you all', the ones preferred. L3 · R7
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 with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. عَلَى is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the naming word after it into the genitive — the after-preposition ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. عَلَى 'on/over' is one of the common prepositions: preferred 'over the worlds'. L4 · R2
ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَword 11
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱلْ ('the') fixed to the front of a naming word to mark one specific, known whole. Here it marks عَٰلَمِينَ as 'THE worlds' — the ل carrying the sukūn ـْ, the small circle showing it is written and heard before the ع. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱلْ ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names the worlds — the peoples — from the root علم, to know, knowledge. L1 · R1
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); ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ends in exactly that ـِينَ: the many worlds — the nations. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, usually a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. For this kind of plural the genitive shows itself instead as the ending ـِينَ, which ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ carries because عَلَى stands before it. L2 · R12
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].”