32وَلَقَدِ اختَرناهُم عَلىٰ عِلمٍ عَلَى العالَمينَMuhammad Asadand, indeed, We chose them knowingly above all other people,1I.e., according to all commentators, above all people of their time, because at that time the children of Israel were the only people who worshipped the One God: which is the reason of the frequent Qur'anic references to the story of their delivery from bondage. The stress on God's having "chosen them knowingly" alludes to His foreknowledge that in later times they would deteriorate morally and thus forfeit His grace (Zamakhshari and Razi).