And [recall] when We gave Moses the Scripture and criterion that perhaps you would be guided.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَإِذْ
(And [recall] when)
وَإِذْword 1
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one statement to another. The prefix وَ joins this remembrance to the ones before it. L4 · R4
Time Adverb · ظرف زمانA time adverb is a naming word that anchors a sentence to the time its action happens. إِذْ means 'when — back then', pointing to a moment already past: the giving of the Book. L16 · R9
ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى
(…We gave Moses)
Root اتي — to come, bring, give · 549 times in the Quran
ءَاتَيْنَاword 2
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. ءَاتَيْ names an action — giving — from the root اتي, to come, bring, give. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes an action already completed, and who did it is shown by an ending added to the verb. The ending نَا — the 'We' marker — sits on ءَاتَيْنَا: 'We gave', already done. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has و or ي among its root letters, and those weak letters love to change shape. The root of ءَاتَيْ is اتي: its final weak letter surfaces here as the يْ before the ending. L24 · R2
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) as one of its root letters, and the hamza's changing written seat can disguise the root. The root of ءَاتَيْ is اتي, beginning with a hamza — it stands here inside the long-sounding opening ءَا. L24 · R11
Form IV Verb · أَفْعَلَA Form IV verb adds a hamzah to the front of the root, usually meaning causing the action to happen. In ءَاتَيْ the form's added hamza and the root's own first hamza have flowed together into the single long opening ءَا — there is no separate prefix letter to point at, but that opening is the form's trace: We made the Book come to Musa — 'We gave' it. L12 · R5
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending نَا on ءَاتَيْنَا is such a suffix, standing for 'We'. L3 · R7
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending نَا is that doer, 'We'; an attached pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
مُوسَىword 3
Noun · اسمA noun names a person, place, thing, or idea — including proper names. مُوسَى is the proper name of the prophet Musa. L1 · R6
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. مُوسَى ends in the bent letter ى, which carries no vowel mark, so nothing shows on the page — the accusative is the role the name fills here. L2 · R11
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 above the last letter. Musa is the one the giving reached; his name's bent ending ى shows no mark, so the accusative here is the role, not a visible sign. L9 · R3
ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْفُرْقَانَ
(…the Scripture and criterion)
Root كتب — to write, prescribe, decree; book, scripture · 319 times in the Quran
Root فرق — to separate, divide, distinguish; criterion, group · 72 times in the Quran
ٱلْكِتَـٰبَword 4
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ال attached to the front of a naming word to mean 'the' — one specific, known one. ٱلْكِتَٰبَ wears that prefix: 'the Book', the Scripture given to Musa. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts ال — the prefix meaning 'the' — is a noun, a naming word. كِتَٰبَ names the Book, from the root كتب, whose related meanings all come from one idea: writing and things written down. 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
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the letter. كِتَٰبَ ends in that fathah ـَ. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, here the fathah ـَ above its last letter. The Book is what the giving delivered. L9 · R3
وَٱلْفُرْقَانَword 5
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties words together, and the joined word takes the same ending as the word before it. The prefix وَ joins the Criterion to the Book — both given, both carrying the same fathah ـَ ending. L4 · R4
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ال attached to the front of a naming word to mean 'the' — one specific, known one. ٱلْفُرْقَانَ wears that prefix: 'the Criterion'. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts ال — the prefix meaning 'the' — is a noun, a naming word. فُرْقَانَ names the Criterion, from the root فرق, to separate, divide, distinguish — that which tells things apart. 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
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the letter. فُرْقَانَ ends in that fathah ـَ, matching the Book it is joined to. L2 · R11
'The Scripture' means the Tawrah, and 'the criterion' is that which differentiates between truth and falsehood, guidance and deviation.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:53
So far: “And [recall] when We gave Moses the Scripture and criterion”
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
(…that perhaps you would be guided.)
Root هدي — to guide, show the right path · 316 times in the Quran
لَعَلَّكُمْword 6
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعللَعَلَّ — one of the family of particles that sit before a topic-plus-comment sentence, each carrying the doubling shaddah ـّ, seen here on its لَّ — expresses hope or expectation, 'perhaps / so that'; in Allah's speech it typically reveals the purpose behind His act: the Book was given SO THAT you might be guided. L15 · R8
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending كُمْ on لَعَلَّكُمْ stands for 'you all' — the ones the hope is spoken over; this particle family pushes its topic into the accusative, the form usually shown by a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the letter, but a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so the accusative is the role it fills. L3 · R7
تَهْتَدُونَword 7
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. تَهْتَدُ names an action — finding guidance — from the root هدي, to guide, show the right path. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present tense verb is identified by one of the four prefix letters remembered as أَنَيْتُ. تَهْتَدُونَ opens with the prefix تَ — the letter for 'you' — always standing before the root letters: a being-guided hoped for, ongoing. L8 · R3
The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present tense shapes ending in نَ, where that نَ itself shows the mood: kept in the normal mood, dropped after trimming words. تَهْتَدُونَ is the 'you all do' shape with its نَ kept. L10 · R10
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has و or ي among its root letters, and those weak letters love to vanish. The root of تَهْتَدُ is هدي: its final weak letter ي has dropped away in this shape — only the ه and د of the root remain before the ending. L24 · R2
Form VIII Verb · اِفْتَعَلَA Form VIII verb tucks a ت inside, right after the first root letter, usually giving a do-it-oneself sense. In تَهْتَدُ that tucked تَ stands right after the root's first letter ه: to take guidance for oneself — 'be guided'. L13 · R4
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending ونَ on تَهْتَدُونَ is such a suffix, standing for 'you all'. L3 · R7
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, standing in the nominative — the doer's form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The و in the ending ونَ names the doers of the hoped-for guidance-taking, 'you all'; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
'So that you may be guided aright' — after escaping the sea, as Surat Al-A'raf states: the Scripture was given as an enlightenment for mankind, a guidance and a mercy.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:53
So far: “And [recall] when We gave Moses the Scripture and criterion that perhaps you would be guided.”