The Quran

154

Preface

وَرَفَعنا فَوقَهُمُ الطّورَ بِميثاقِهِم وَقُلنا لَهُمُ ادخُلُوا البابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُلنا لَهُم لا تَعدوا فِي السَّبتِ وَأَخَذنا مِنهُم ميثاقًا غَليظًا

Yusuf Ali

And for their covenant we raised over them (the towering height) of Mount (Sinai);¹ and (on another occasion) we said: “Enter the gate with humility”; and (once again) we commanded them: “Transgress not in the matter of the sabbath.” And we took from them a solemn covenant.

In this verse there is a recapitulation of three salient incidents of Jewish refractoriness already referred to in the second Sūra: viz., (1) the Covenant under the towering height of Sinai, 2:63; (2) their arrogance where they were commanded humility in entering a town, 2:58; and (3) their transgression of the Sabbath, 2:65.b###