And when their sending for punishment occurred, they said, excluding from the pronoun in 'criminals'; meaning: they have all committed a great crime; 'except for the family of Lot'; so they excluded them from being criminals; which necessitates that they were not sent for their punishment; and this was a motivator for the soul to ask about their condition; for they are among those for whom the sending occurred because of them; so they answered with their saying: 'Indeed, we will surely save them'; meaning: a great salvation; by gradually bringing about the causes as is customary; 'all together'.