And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allāh [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allāh and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ
(And [recall] when you said, "O Moses,)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
وَإِذْword 1
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَإِذْ 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
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 day they spoke to Musa. L16 · R9
قُلْتُمْword 2
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. قُلْ speaks of an action already carried out: 'you said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. 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 قُلْتُمْ that ending is تُمْ, telling exactly who is meant: 'you said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of قُلْ is قول: to say, speak, tell — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
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. تُمْ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — قُلْتُمْ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 تُمْ is that doer, 'you all' — the people who spoke; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
يَـٰمُوسَىٰword 3
Vocative Particle · حرف نداءA vocative particle is a calling word placed before a naming word to address someone directly. The prefix يَٰ 'O!' calls out to Musa by name. L4 · R8
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. مُوسَىٰ is a proper name: 'O Musa!'. L1 · R6
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject or main topic of its sentence, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. مُوسَىٰ ends in the bent letter ىٰ, which carries no vowel mark, so nothing shows on the page — the nominative is the role the name fills here. L2 · R10
Vocative · المُنَادَىThe vocative is the person being called, formed with يَا 'O!' plus the called name. مُوسَىٰ is that called one: the people address their prophet directly before making their demand. L21 · R2
لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامٍۢ وَٰحِدٍۢ
(…we can never endure one [kind of] food.)
Root صبر — to be patient, endure with steadfastness · 103 times in the Quran
Root طعم — to eat, feed, food, taste · 48 times in the Quran
Root وحد — to be one, oneness, unity · 68 times in the Quran
لَنword 4
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. لَن · 'will not' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Negation Particle · حرف نفيA negation particle flips a statement to its opposite, and each one is chosen by time: لَنْ means 'will not', denying the future, and it puts the verb after it into the mood typically marked by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. Here لَن denies any future patience: we will never endure. L4 · R5
نَّصْبِرَword 5
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. نَّصْبِرَ is an action unfolding now: 'we endure', from the root صبر: to be patient, endure with steadfastness. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb is the verb shape that opens with one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت; small helper words before it can bend its time and mood. نَّصْبِرَ wears that present-tense shape, opening with exactly such a letter: 'we endure', from the root صبر: to be patient, endure with steadfastness. L8 · R3
Subjunctive Mood · الفعل المنصوبThe subjunctive is the mood a present tense verb takes when a particle like لَنْ 'never will' stands before it, and its marker is a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke — on the final letter. نَّصْبِرَ ends in exactly that fathah ـَ on its ر, put there by the لَن before it. L10 · R4
عَلَىٰword 6
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. عَلَىٰ · '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'. عَلَىٰ · 'on/upon' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
طَعَامٍۢword 7
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. طَعَامٍ names such a thing: 'food', from the root طعم: to eat, feed, food, taste. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. طَعَامٍۢ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' one of something — no particular one — and it never wears the definite article ال ('the'); instead it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. طَعَامٍ carries the tanwīn ـٍ — the kasrah ـِ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'food'. L2 · R8
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter — doubled to tanwīn ـٍ when the word is indefinite. طَعَامٍ ends in that doubled kasrah ـٍ because عَلَىٰ stands before it. L2 · R12
وَٰحِدٍۢword 8
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. وَٰحِدٍ names such a thing: '(of) one (kind)', from the root وحد: to be one, oneness, unity. L1 · R6
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun is a naming word left general — not pinned to one known thing by the definite article ال ('the') — and it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. وَٰحِدٍ carries the tanwīn ـٍ — the kasrah ـِ doubled: '(of) one (kind)'. L2 · R8
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is an ending shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter — doubled to tanwīn ـٍ when the word is indefinite. وَٰحِدٍ ends in that doubled kasrah ـٍ, wearing the same genitive ending as طَعَامٍ, the food-word it describes. L2 · R12
Adjective · صفةAn adjective is a describing word that follows its noun and matches it in all four characteristics: gender, number, case, and definiteness. وَٰحِدٍ 'one' follows طَعَامٍ 'food' and matches it point for point — both are treated as 'he', both speak of one thing, both end in the doubled kasrah ـٍ, and both carry that tanwīn of an unspecified word: 'ONE kind of food'. L7 · R1
"One kind of food" means the manna and quails, because they ate the same food day after day; Al-Hasan Al-Basri said they were bored and impatient with the food they were provided and remembered their old diet of lentils, onions, garlic and herbs.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
So far: “And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food.”
فَٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ
(…So call upon your Lord)
Root دعو — to call, invoke, pray to; supplication · 212 times in the Quran
Root ربب — Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector · 980 times in the Quran
فَٱدْعُword 9
Resumptive Particle · حرف استئنافA resumptive particle is a وَ or فَ that begins a fresh statement after a pause or a shift of topic — it starts the speech anew rather than adding one more item to a list. The prefix فَ · 'then' at the front of فَٱدْعُ opens such a fresh start. L14 · R1
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. ٱدْعُ is a command: 'so pray', from the root دعو: to call, invoke, pray to; supplication. L1 · R7
Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a direct command addressed to 'you', formed from the present-tense verb by removing its opening prefix and adding a helping ٱ when what remains starts with a vowelless letter. ٱدْعُ shows that helping ٱ at its front — a command to one man, Musa: call! L10 · R1
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has و or ي among its root letters, and when the weak letter ends the root it is dropped in the command shape, the short vowel left behind signalling which letter was deleted. ٱدْعُ is that clipped command of the root دعو: its final و is gone, and the ḍammah ـُ — the small curl above the ع — is the fingerprint of the deleted و. L24 · R7
لَنَاword 10
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لَ at the front of لَنَا is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'to/for' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA pronoun is a mini-word standing in for a name, here نَا 'us'. Though the label reads it as a standalone word, it is written joined after the preposition لَ and works like the glued-on endings for 'our/us', naming those the prayer is for: 'for us'. L3 · R7
رَبَّكَword 11
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. رَبَّ names such a thing: '(to) your Lord', from the root ربب: Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. رَبَّكَ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes 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. رَبَّ ends in that fathah ـَ, sitting atop its doubled ب. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, here the fathah ـَ above the doubled ب. 'Your Lord' is the One the commanded calling is directed to. L9 · R3
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending كَ on رَبَّكَ is such a suffix, standing for 'your': YOUR Lord. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The ending كَ fills that owner slot: 'the Lord OF you'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنۢبِتُ ٱلْأَرْضُ
(…to bring forth for us from the earth)
Root خرج — to go out, bring forth · 182 times in the Quran
Root نبت — grows · 26 times in the Quran
Root ارض — earth, land, ground · 461 times in the Quran
يُخْرِجْword 12
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يُخْرِجْ is an action unfolding now: 'to bring forth', from the root خرج: to go out, bring forth. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb is the verb shape that opens with one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت; small helper words before it can bend its time and mood. يُخْرِجْ wears that present-tense shape, opening with exactly such a letter: 'to bring forth', from the root خرج: to go out, bring forth. L8 · R3
Jussive Mood · الفعل المجزومThe jussive is one of the three moods of a present tense verb — the cut-down mood, marked by a sukūn ـْ, the small circle above the last letter meaning the sound stops there. يُخْرِجْ ends in exactly that sukūn ـْ on its ج, standing as what follows on the asked-for prayer: He will bring forth. L10 · R8
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; in the present tense this form announces itself instead by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the letter — sitting on the verb's opening prefix letter. يُخْرِجْ carries exactly that ḍammah ـُ on its opening letter: 'to bring forth', from the root خرج: to go out, bring forth. L12 · R7
لَنَاword 13
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لَ at the front of لَنَا is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'to/for' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA pronoun is a mini-word standing in for a name, here نَا 'us'. Though the label reads it as a standalone word, it is written joined after the preposition لَ and works like the glued-on endings for 'our/us', naming those the bringing-forth is for: 'for us'. L3 · R7
مِمَّاword 14
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. مِ · 'from/of' 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'. مِ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word that hooks a whole describing sentence onto its meaning. مَّا · 'out of what' is the relative word Arabic uses for non-human things — 'what' or 'that which' — one fixed shape for any gender and any number: its ending never changes to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
تُنۢبِتُword 15
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تُنۢبِتُ is an action unfolding now: 'grows', from the root نبت: grows. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. تُنۢبِتُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'grows', from the root نبت: grows. L8 · R3
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; in the present tense this form announces itself instead by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the letter — sitting on the verb's opening prefix letter. تُنۢبِتُ carries exactly that ḍammah ـُ on its opening letter: 'grows', from the root نبت: grows. L12 · R7
ٱلْأَرْضُword 16
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): ٱلْأَرْضُ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. أَرْضُ names such a thing: 'the earth', from the root ارض: earth, land, ground. L1 · R6
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she'. Most feminine nouns wear a visible marker — a ة at the end, a final ى, or اء — but أَرْضُ shows none of these: it is one of the words Arabic simply knows as feminine, learned with the word itself: 'the earth'. L2 · R2
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject of its sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. أَرْضُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ. L2 · R10
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action in a verb-first sentence, standing in the nominative — shown here by the ḍammah ـُ, the small curl above the ض. The earth is what does the growing. L9 · R2
مِنۢ بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّآئِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا ۖ
(…its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions.")
Root بقل — herbs, vegetables, greens · 1 times in the Quran
Root قثا — cucumbers · 1 times in the Quran
Root فوم — garlic · 1 times in the Quran
Root عدس — lentils · 1 times in the Quran
Root بصل — onion · 1 times in the Quran
مِنۢword 17
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. مِنۢ · 'from/of' 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'. مِنۢ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
بَقْلِهَاword 18
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. بَقْلِ names such a thing: 'its herbs', from the root بقل: herbs, vegetables, greens. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. بَقْلِهَا carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. بَقْلِ stands right after such a little word and carries exactly that kasrah ـِ on its own final letter — tucked inside بَقْلِهَا, just before the small piece fastened to the word's end. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هَا on بَقْلِهَا is such a suffix, standing for 'its' — the earth, spoken of as 'she': ITS herbs. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The ending هَا fills that owner slot: 'the herbs OF it' — of the earth; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
وَقِثَّآئِهَاword 19
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَقِثَّآئِهَا 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
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. قِثَّآئِ names such a thing: '[and] its cucumbers', from the root قثا: cucumbers. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. وَقِثَّآئِهَا carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is an ending shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. قِثَّآئِ carries that kasrah ـِ under its final hamza, the same 'of' ending as the herbs it is joined to in the list after مِنۢ. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هَا on وَقِثَّآئِهَا is such a suffix, standing for 'its' — the earth's: ITS cucumbers. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The ending هَا fills that owner slot: 'the cucumbers OF it' — of the earth; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
وَفُومِهَاword 20
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَفُومِهَا 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
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. فُومِ names such a thing: '[and] its garlic', from the root فوم: garlic. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. وَفُومِهَا carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is an ending shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. فُومِ ends in that kasrah ـِ, the same 'of' ending as the other items in the list after مِنۢ. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هَا on وَفُومِهَا is such a suffix, standing for 'its' — the earth's: ITS garlic. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The ending هَا fills that owner slot: 'the garlic OF it' — of the earth; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
وَعَدَسِهَاword 21
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَعَدَسِهَا 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
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. عَدَسِ names such a thing: '[and] its lentils', from the root عدس: lentils. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. وَعَدَسِهَا carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is an ending shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. عَدَسِ ends in that kasrah ـِ, the same 'of' ending as the other items in the list after مِنۢ. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هَا on وَعَدَسِهَا is such a suffix, standing for 'its' — the earth's: ITS lentils. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The ending هَا fills that owner slot: 'the lentils OF it' — of the earth; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
وَبَصَلِهَا ۖword 22
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَبَصَلِهَا 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
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. بَصَلِ names such a thing: 'and its onions', from the root بصل: onion. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. وَبَصَلِهَا carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is an ending shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter. بَصَلِ ends in that kasrah ـِ, the same 'of' ending as the other items in the list after مِنۢ. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هَا on وَبَصَلِهَا is such a suffix, standing for 'its' — the earth's: ITS onions. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The ending هَا fills that owner slot: 'the onions OF it' — of the earth; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
Ibn 'Abbas said that Fum means garlic; others said it is wheat, the kind used for bread. The lentils, onions and herbs are all known types of foods.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
So far: “And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions."”
قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ ٱلَّذِى هُوَ أَدْنَىٰ بِٱلَّذِى هُوَ خَيْرٌ ۚ
(…[Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less?)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root بدل — to exchange, to alter · 44 times in the Quran
Root دنو — to be near, to approach · 133 times in the Quran
Root خير — good, better, best, goodness · 196 times in the Quran
قَالَword 23
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. قَالَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'He said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed. Its plain base shape — the shape Arabic uses for a single 'he' — carries no who-ending glued to its tail, and قَالَ is exactly that bare base: 'He said', from the root قول: to say, speak, tell. L8 · R1
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of قَالَ is قول: to say, speak, tell — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَword 24
Interrogative Particle · حرف استفهامAn interrogative particle turns a statement into a question. The prefix أَ (a hamza) at the front of أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ forms a yes/no question: 'Would you exchange…?' L17 · R1
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. تَسْتَبْدِلُ is an action unfolding now: 'Would you exchange', from the root بدل: to exchange, to alter. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. تَسْتَبْدِلُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'Would you exchange', from the root بدل: to exchange, to alter. L8 · R3
The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present-tense shapes whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ is one of them: its ending ونَ keeps that closing ن, and for these five shapes the kept ن is itself the grammar-sign that the verb stands in its plain, ordinary mood. L10 · R10
Form X Verb · اِسْتَفْعَلَA Form X verb is identified by the اِسْتَـ prefix and typically means seeking or requesting the action of the base verb. In this present shape that marker shows as the سْتَ right after the 'you' prefix: تَسْتَبْدِلُ — seeking an exchange; the root means to exchange, and they are asking for one. L13 · R6
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. ونَ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 ونَ is that doer, 'you all' — the ones asking to exchange; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
ٱلَّذِىword 25
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. ٱلَّذِى · 'that which' is the masculine singular form — used when it points to one person or thing Arabic treats as 'he'. Its shape is fixed: this word never changes its ending to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
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. 'That which is lower' is what the exchanging would take in; ٱلَّذِى keeps one fixed written shape, so no fathah appears — the accusative is the role it fills. L9 · R3
هُوَword 26
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA detached pronoun is a standalone word for 'I/you/he/she/they'. هُوَ is the 'he' of that set, standing here for 'it' — the lower thing. L3 · R2
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, the topic's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. Inside the describing sentence, هُوَ 'it' is that topic; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R2
أَدْنَىٰword 27
Noun · اسمA noun names a person, place, thing, idea, or quality. أَدْنَىٰ names a quality: the lower, lesser one. 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
Singular Noun · مفردA singular noun refers to one entity, ordinarily showing its case with a single short vowel mark — a ḍammah ـُ, fathah ـَ, or kasrah ـِ. أَدْنَىٰ speaks of one thing — the one lesser thing; its bent ending ىٰ takes no such mark, so nothing shows on the page. L2 · R4
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject or main topic of its sentence, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. أَدْنَىٰ ends in the bent letter ىٰ, which carries no vowel mark, so nothing shows on the page — the nominative is the role the word fills here. L2 · R10
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate completes the meaning about the topic, and it stands in the nominative — the completing word's own form, usually a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. أَدْنَىٰ tells us about هُوَ: 'it IS lower' — the 'is' simply understood; its bent ىٰ shows no mark, so the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R3
بِٱلَّذِىword 28
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِٱلَّذِى is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
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. ٱلَّذِى · 'for that which' is the masculine singular form — used when it points to one person or thing Arabic treats as 'he'. Its shape is fixed: this word never changes its ending to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
هُوَword 29
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA detached pronoun is a standalone word for 'I/you/he/she/they'. هُوَ is the 'he' of that set, standing here for 'it' — the better thing. L3 · R2
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, the topic's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. Inside the describing sentence, هُوَ 'it' is that topic; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R2
خَيْرٌ ۚword 30
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. خَيْرٌ names such a thing: '(is) better?', from the root خير: good, better, best, goodness. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. خَيْرٌ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Singular Noun · مفردA singular noun refers to one entity and shows its case with a single short vowel mark, doubled to tanwīn when the noun is indefinite. خَيْرٌ speaks of one thing — the one better thing — and wears exactly that doubled mark ـٌ. L2 · R4
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun is a naming word left general — not pinned to one known thing by the definite article ال ('the') — and it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. خَيْرٌ carries the tanwīn ـٌ — the ḍammah ـُ doubled: '(is) better?'. L2 · R8
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject or main topic of its sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter — doubled to tanwīn ـٌ when the word is indefinite. خَيْرٌ ends in that doubled ḍammah ـٌ. L2 · R10
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate completes the meaning about the topic; it too stands in the nominative, and it is typically an unspecific single word. خَيْرٌ fits exactly: one word, wearing the doubled ḍammah ـٌ of an unspecific word, telling us about هُوَ: 'it IS better' — the 'is' simply understood. L6 · R3
This criticized them for asking for inferior foods although they were living an easy life, eating tasty, beneficial and pure food.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
ٱهْبِطُوا۟ مِصْرًۭا
(…Go into [any] settlement)
Root هبط — to descend, fall, to cause to come down · 8 times in the Quran
Root مصر — proper noun, a common noun, a city · 5 times in the Quran
ٱهْبِطُوا۟word 31
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. ٱهْبِطُ is a command: 'Go down', from the root هبط: to descend, fall, to cause to come down. L1 · R7
Imperative Verb · فعل أمرAn imperative verb is a direct command addressed to 'you', formed from the present-tense verb by removing its opening prefix and adding a helping ٱ when what remains starts with a vowelless letter. ٱهْبِطُوا۟ shows that helping ٱ at its front, commanding a group — its ending وا۟ points the order at 'you all': go down! 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 — ٱهْبِطُوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 وا۟ is that doer, 'you all' — the ones told to go down; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
مِصْرًۭاword 32
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. مِصْرًا names such a thing: '(to) a city', from the root مصر: proper noun, a common noun, a city. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. مِصْرًۭا carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' one of something — no particular one — and it never wears the definite article ال ('the'); instead it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. مِصْرًا carries the tanwīn ـً — the fathah ـَ doubled — marking it as unspecified: '(to) a city'. L2 · R8
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 — doubled to tanwīn ـً when the word is indefinite. مِصْرًا carries that doubled fathah ـً. 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 doubled fathah ـً. The settlement is what the commanded going-down reaches: go down INTO a settlement. L9 · R3
"Go you down to any Misr" means any city, as Ibn 'Abbas said — what they asked for is easy, available in abundance in any city they might enter.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ ۗ
(…and indeed, you will have what you have asked.")
Root سال — to ask, demand, question · 129 times in the Quran
فَإِنَّword 33
Resumptive Particle · حرف استئنافA resumptive particle is a وَ or فَ that begins a fresh statement after a pause or a shift of topic — it starts the speech anew rather than adding one more item to a list. The prefix فَ · 'then' at the front of فَإِنَّ opens such a fresh start. L14 · R1
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعلإِنَّ adds emphasis — 'indeed' — and it changes the topic it introduces from the nominative to the accusative, the pressed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter. إِنَّ carries its doubling shaddah ـّ — the small w-shaped mark — and its topic here is the coming word مَّا 'what': indeed, what you asked is yours. L15 · R2
لَكُمword 34
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix لَ at the front of لَكُم is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'to/for' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA pronoun is a mini-word standing in for a name, here كُم 'you all'. Though the label reads it as a standalone word, it is written joined after the preposition لَ and works like the glued-on endings for 'your/you', naming those the asked-for thing belongs to: 'for you'. L3 · R7
مَّاword 35
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word that hooks a whole describing sentence onto its meaning. مَّا · '(is) what' is the relative word Arabic uses for non-human things — 'what' or 'that which' — one fixed shape for any gender and any number: its ending never changes to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
سَأَلْتُمْ ۗword 36
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. سَأَلْ speaks of an action already carried out: 'you have asked (for)', from the root سال: to ask, demand, question. 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 سَأَلْتُمْ that ending is تُمْ, telling exactly who is meant: 'you have asked (for)', from the root سال: to ask, demand, question. L8 · R2
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) as one of its root letters — سَأَلَ 'he asked' carries it as the middle letter. In سَأَلْتُمْ that hamza sits in plain view on its alif seat: أَ, right in the word's middle. L24 · R11
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. تُمْ · 'you all/your' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — سَأَلْتُمْ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 تُمْ is that doer, 'you all' — the ones who asked; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
Since their request was the result of boredom and arrogance, and since fulfilling it was unnecessary, their request was denied.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
So far: “And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked."”
وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلذِّلَّةُ وَٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ
(…And they were covered with humiliation and poverty)
Root ضرب — to strike, set forth (examples), travel · 58 times in the Quran
Root ذلل — to humble, subdue; humiliation, lowliness · 24 times in the Quran
Root سكن — to dwell, inhabit; to be still, tranquil; poverty · 69 times in the Quran
وَضُرِبَتْword 37
Resumptive Particle · حرف استئنافA resumptive particle is a وَ or فَ that begins a fresh statement after a pause or a shift of topic — it starts the speech anew rather than adding one more item to a list. The prefix وَ · 'and' at the front of وَضُرِبَتْ opens such a fresh start. L14 · R1
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. ضُرِبَتْ speaks of an action already carried out: 'And were struck', from the root ضرب: to strike, set forth (examples), travel. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes an action already completed, and its endings mark who or what it concerns. The ending تْ — the 'she' marker, wearing the sukūn ـْ, a small circle meaning no vowel follows — sits on ضُرِبَتْ, agreeing with the humiliation, a word spoken of as 'she': it was struck, already done. L8 · R2
Passive Voice · المبني للمجهولA passive voice verb hides who did the action by changing its inner vowels: فَعَلَ becomes فُعِلَ, with a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl — on the first letter and a kasrah ـِ — a small stroke below — on the second root vowel. ضُرِبَتْ shows exactly that pattern: the ḍammah on its ض and the kasrah under its ر. The one who struck is left unnamed; what receives the striking is the humiliation. L11 · R4
عَلَيْهِمُword 38
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. هِمُ · 'them/their' hangs on the little relation-word in عَلَيْهِمُ, governed by the word it is fastened to. L3 · R6
ٱلذِّلَّةُword 39
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱل at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. Because the next letter, ذ, is one of the fourteen 'sun-letters' — letters made in the same part of the mouth as ل itself, which swallow the ل of ٱل so it is written but not heard — the ل of the prefix melts into it and doubles it, shown by the shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped doubling mark written above the letter: ٱلذِّلَّةُ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that ends with the tā marbūtah ة is a noun, a naming word. ذِّلَّةُ names humiliation, from the root ذلل — to humble, subdue; humiliation, lowliness. L1 · R3
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she', most often marked by a ة — the round 'tied tā' — at its end. ذِّلَّةُ carries exactly that round ة at its end, so it is treated as feminine: 'the humiliation'. L2 · R1
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject of its sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. ذِّلَّةُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ on its ة. L2 · R10
Passive Subject · نائب فاعلThe passive subject is the thing the action happened to, promoted into the subject spot of a verb whose doer is hidden, and it takes the nominative — shown here by the ḍammah ـُ, the small curl above the ة. The humiliation is what was struck upon them. L11 · R5
وَٱلْمَسْكَنَةُword 40
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ 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
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): وَٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that ends with the tā marbūtah ة is a noun, a naming word. مَسْكَنَةُ names misery, from the root سكن, whose related meanings include poverty. L1 · R3
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she', most often marked by a ة — the round 'tied tā' — at its end. مَسْكَنَةُ carries exactly that round ة at its end, so it is treated as feminine: 'and the misery'. L2 · R1
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject of its sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. مَسْكَنَةُ ends in that ḍammah ـُ, the same ending as the humiliation it is joined to by وَ. L2 · R10
This indicates that the Children of Israel were plagued with humiliation; Abu Al-'Aliyah, Ar-Rabi' bin Anas and As-Suddi said that 'misery' used in the Ayah means poverty.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
وَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ
(…and returned with anger from Allāh [upon them].)
Root بوا — to settle, take up residence, incur upon oneself · 17 times in the Quran
Root غضب — to be angry, anger, wrath · 24 times in the Quran
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
وَبَآءُوword 41
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَبَآءُو 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
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. بَآءُ speaks of an action already carried out: 'and they drew on themselves', from the root بوا: to settle, take up residence, incur upon oneself. 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 وَبَآءُو that ending is و, telling exactly who is meant: 'and they drew on themselves', from the root بوا: to settle, take up residence, incur upon oneself. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of بَآءُ is بوا: to settle, take up residence, incur upon oneself — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) as one of its root letters, and the hamza's written seat changes with its surroundings. In بَآءُو the root's hamza sits on the line as ء, right after the long ā. L24 · R11
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. و · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — وَبَآءُو — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 و is that doer, 'they' — they themselves drew the wrath; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
بِغَضَبٍۢword 42
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِغَضَبٍۢ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. غَضَبٍ names such a thing: 'wrath', from the root غضب: to be angry, anger, wrath. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. بِغَضَبٍۢ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' one of something — no particular one — and it never wears the definite article ال ('the'); instead it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. غَضَبٍ carries the tanwīn ـٍ — the kasrah ـِ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'wrath'. L2 · R8
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the last letter — doubled to tanwīn ـٍ when the word is indefinite. غَضَبٍ ends in that doubled kasrah ـٍ because بِ stands before it. L2 · R12
مِّنَword 43
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. مِّنَ · 'from/of' 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'. مِّنَ · 'from/of' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
ٱللَّهِ ۗword 44
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. ٱللَّهِ is a proper name: 'Allah'. L1 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. ٱللَّهِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: ٱللَّهِ. L2 · R12
Ad-Dahhak said, 'They deserved Allah's anger'; Ibn Jarir explained it as 'they went back carrying Allah's wrath' — Allah's wrath descended on them.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
So far: “And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allāh [upon them].”
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ
(…That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allāh)
Root كون — to be, exist, happen · 1,390 times in the Quran
Root كفر — to disbelieve, reject faith; disbelief, ingratitude · 525 times in the Quran
Root ايي — sign, verse, miracle · 382 times in the Quran
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
ذَٰلِكَword 45
Demonstrative Pronoun · اسم إشارةA demonstrative pronoun is a pointing word that singles out a specific thing, near or far. ذَٰلِكَ points to something far: 'THAT' — the humiliation, misery, and wrath just described. L3 · R8
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, the topic's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. A pointing word can serve as this topic, and ذَٰلِكَ opens the sentence as the thing being explained: 'That [was]…'; a pointing word keeps one fixed written shape, so the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R2
بِأَنَّهُمْword 46
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِأَنَّهُمْ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that completes the meaning about the topic, and it can be a preposition-phrase rather than a single word. The بِ-phrase 'because they used to disbelieve' is exactly that: it tells us what 'That' was — the 'was' simply understood. L6 · R4
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعلأَنَّ 'that' is one of the six particles — each carrying the doubling shaddah ـّ, the small w-shaped mark — that push the topic of a sentence into the accusative, the pressed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small slanted stroke above the last letter, while the comment stays in its own form. أَنَّ shows that shaddah on its ن, and its topic is the هُمْ glued to it: 'that THEY…'. L15 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending هُمْ on بِأَنَّهُمْ is such a suffix, standing for 'they' — the topic أَنَّ presses into the accusative, the pressed-on form, usually a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the last letter; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the accusative is the role it fills. L3 · R6
كَانُوا۟word 47
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. كَانُ speaks of an action already carried out: 'used to', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. 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 كَانُوا۟ that ending is وا۟, telling exactly who is meant: 'used to', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of كَانُ is كون: to be, exist, happen — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
Kāna Verb · كان وأخواتهاكَانَ is an incomplete verb: it needs both a topic and a comment to finish its meaning, and it keeps that topic in the nominative — the topic's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the final letter. Its topic here is the وا۟ 'they' — a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one — and the comment is the verb that follows: 'they used to disbelieve'. L18 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on كَانُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'they'. L3 · R6
يَكْفُرُونَword 48
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَكْفُرُ is an action unfolding now: 'disbelieve', from the root كفر: to disbelieve, reject faith; disbelief, ingratitude. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. يَكْفُرُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'disbelieve', from the root كفر: to disbelieve, reject faith; disbelief, ingratitude. L8 · R3
The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present-tense shapes whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. يَكْفُرُونَ is one of them: its ending ونَ keeps that closing ن, and for these five shapes the kept ن is itself the grammar-sign that the verb stands in its plain, ordinary mood. L10 · R10
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. ونَ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — يَكْفُرُونَ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 ونَ is that doer, 'they' — the ones who kept disbelieving; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
بِـَٔايَـٰتِword 49
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِـَٔايَـٰتِ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the naming word after it into the genitive, the ending marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L4 · R1
Noun · اسمA noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. ـَٔايَٰتِ names signs, from the root ايي — sign, verse, miracle. L1 · R6
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she'. ـَٔايَٰتِ closes with the sound feminine plural ending ـَات — the ending Arabic adds to name three or more of something feminine — and that plural ending marks the word as feminine: 'in (the) Signs'. L2 · R6
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. The sound feminine plural — the plural of a feminine naming word — adds the ending ـَات, and ـَٔايَٰتِ carries that ending: many signs. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. ـَٔايَٰتِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: بِـَٔايَـٰتِ. L2 · R12
ٱللَّهِword 50
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and in Arabic this includes proper names. ٱللَّهِ is a proper name: '(of) Allah'. L1 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes as the owner in an 'of' phrase, marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the final letter. بِـَٔايَـٰتِ and ٱللَّهِ form such a pair, 'in (the) Signs (of) Allah', and as the owner-word of that pair, ٱللَّهِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L2 · R12
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهArabic says 'of' by chaining two nouns — two naming words — directly together: بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ reads 'in (the) Signs — (of) Allah'. The second word of such a chain, the owner, always takes the genitive — the after-'of' ending, shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and ٱللَّهِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L5 · R5
The humiliation and misery were the reward for their defiance of the truth, disbelief in Allah's Ayat, and belittling the carriers of Allah's Law — the Prophets and their following.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ ۗ
(…and killed the prophets without right.)
Root قتل — to kill, slay, fight · 170 times in the Quran
Root نبا — to inform, give news; prophet, prophecy · 160 times in the Quran
Root غير — other than, different from; to change, alter · 154 times in the Quran
Root حقق — to be true, truth, reality · 287 times in the Quran
وَيَقْتُلُونَword 51
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَيَقْتُلُونَ 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
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَقْتُلُ is an action unfolding now: 'and kill', from the root قتل: to kill, slay, fight. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. يَقْتُلُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'and kill', from the root قتل: to kill, slay, fight. L8 · R3
The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present-tense shapes whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. وَيَقْتُلُونَ is one of them: its ending ونَ keeps that closing ن, and for these five shapes the kept ن is itself the grammar-sign that the verb stands in its plain, ordinary mood. L10 · R10
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. ونَ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — وَيَقْتُلُونَ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 ونَ is that doer, 'they' — the killers of the prophets; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَword 52
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱل at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. Because the next letter, ن, is one of the fourteen 'sun-letters' — letters made in the same part of the mouth as ل itself, which swallow the ل of ٱل so it is written but not heard — the ل of the prefix melts into it and doubles it, shown by the shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped doubling mark written above the letter: ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. نَّبِيِّۦنَ is such a naming word: 'the Prophets', from the root نبا: to inform, give news; prophet, prophecy. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. Even as a plural, ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ 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); ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ closes with exactly such an ending: not one, but a whole group. L2 · R6
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the landed-on ending, usually a fathah ـَ — a small stroke above the letter. Words with the ـُونَ/ـِينَ plural ending show their case differently: only the subject form ـُونَ looks distinct, and ـِينَ serves for the accusative. The ـِينَ ending on ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ — written with its ي as a small raised letter — is that accusative form here. L2 · R7
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the one the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, shown for this plural by its ـِينَ ending. The prophets are the ones the killing landed on. L9 · R3
بِغَيْرِword 53
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِغَيْرِ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the naming word after it into the genitive, the ending marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and بِغَيْرِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L4 · R1
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. غَيْرِ names such a thing: 'without (any)', from the root غير: other than, different from; to change, alter. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. بِغَيْرِ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'in' or 'to' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. غَيْرِ stands right after such a little word, so its final letter carries exactly that kasrah ـِ: بِغَيْرِ. L2 · R12
ٱلْحَقِّ ۗword 54
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): ٱلْحَقِّ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. حَقِّ names such a thing: '[the] right', from the root حقق: to be true, truth, reality. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. ٱلْحَقِّ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes as the owner in an 'of' phrase, marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the final letter. بِغَيْرِ and ٱلْحَقِّ form such a pair, 'without (any) [the] right', and as the owner-word of that pair, ٱلْحَقِّ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L2 · R12
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهArabic says 'of' by chaining two nouns — two naming words — directly together: بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ reads 'without (any) — [the] right'. The second word of such a chain, the owner, always takes the genitive — the after-'of' ending, shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and ٱلْحَقِّ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L5 · R5
The Children of Israel rejected the Messengers and even killed them — there is no form of disbelief worse than disbelieving in Allah's Ayat and murdering the Prophets of Allah.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا۟ وَّكَانُوا۟ يَعْتَدُونَ
(…That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.)
Root عصي — to disobey, disobedience · 32 times in the Quran
Root كون — to be, exist, happen · 1,390 times in the Quran
Root عدو — to be an enemy, enmity, hostility, to transgress · 106 times in the Quran
ذَٰلِكَword 55
Demonstrative Pronoun · اسم إشارةA demonstrative pronoun is a pointing word that singles out a specific thing, near or far. ذَٰلِكَ points to something far: 'THAT' — the same verdict, now traced to a second cause. L3 · R8
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, the topic's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. A pointing word can serve as this topic, and ذَٰلِكَ opens the sentence as the thing being explained; a pointing word keeps one fixed written shape, so the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R2
بِمَاword 56
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِمَا is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that completes the meaning about the topic, and it can be a preposition-phrase rather than a single word. The بِ-phrase 'because of what they disobeyed' is exactly that: it tells us what 'That' was — the 'was' simply understood. L6 · R4
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word that hooks a whole describing sentence onto its meaning. مَا · '(was) because' is the relative word Arabic uses for non-human things — 'what' or 'that which' — one fixed shape for any gender and any number: its ending never changes to show its job in the sentence. L5 · R13
عَصَوا۟word 57
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. عَصَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'they disobeyed', from the root عصي: to disobey, disobedience. 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 عَصَوا۟ that ending is وا۟, telling exactly who is meant: 'they disobeyed', from the root عصي: to disobey, disobedience. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of عَصَ is عصي: to disobey, disobedience — and its last letter is the weak ي, so the weakness sits at the very end of the root. L24 · R7
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 · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — عَصَوا۟ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 وا۟ is that doer, 'they' — the disobedient ones; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
وَّكَانُوا۟word 58
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَّ at the front of وَّكَانُوا۟ 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
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. كَانُ speaks of an action already carried out: 'and they were', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. 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 وَّكَانُوا۟ that ending is وا۟, telling exactly who is meant: 'and they were', from the root كون: to be, exist, happen. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of كَانُ is كون: to be, exist, happen — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
Kāna Verb · كان وأخواتهاكَانَ is an incomplete verb: it needs both a topic and a comment to finish its meaning, and it keeps that topic in the nominative — the topic's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the final letter. Its topic here is the وا۟ 'they' — a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one — and the comment is the verb that follows: 'they were transgressing'. L18 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on وَّكَانُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'they'. L3 · R6
يَعْتَدُونَword 59
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. يَعْتَدُ is an action unfolding now: 'transgressing', from the root عدو: to be an enemy, enmity, hostility, to transgress. L1 · R7
Present Tense Verb · فعل مضارعA present-tense verb describes an action happening now or still to come, and it is recognized by its opening letter — one of the four present-tense prefixes أ ن ي ت. يَعْتَدُ opens with exactly such a letter: 'transgressing', from the root عدو: to be an enemy, enmity, hostility, to transgress. L8 · R3
The Five Verbs · الأفعال الخمسةThe Five Verbs are the five present-tense shapes whose ending closes with the letter ن — يَفْعَلَانِ, تَفْعَلَانِ, يَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلُونَ, تَفْعَلِينَ. يَعْتَدُونَ is one of them: its ending ونَ keeps that closing ن, and for these five shapes the kept ن is itself the grammar-sign that the verb stands in its plain, ordinary mood. L10 · R10
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of يَعْتَدُ is عدو: to be an enemy, enmity, hostility, to transgress — and its last letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits at the very end of the root. L24 · R7
Form VIII Verb · اِفْتَعَلَA Form VIII verb is identified by an extra ت tucked in just after the first root letter. يَعْتَدُ shows exactly that: after the 'they' prefix comes the root's ع, then the inserted ت, then the د — the mark of this form: 'they transgress'. L13 · R4
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. ونَ · 'them/their' is fastened to the tail of the verb here — يَعْتَدُونَ — naming the one who did the action. L3 · R6
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 ونَ is that doer, 'they' — the habitual transgressors; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears — the nominative is the role it fills. L9 · R4
This mentions another reason for their punishment: disobedience is to do what is prohibited, while transgression entails overstepping the set limits of what is allowed and what is prohibited.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:61
So far: “And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allāh [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allāh and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.”