And when the decree was: If you accept him, we will honor you. And if you wrongfully reject him out of stubbornness, we will destroy you as we destroyed those before you. He referred to this with His saying: ﴿And how many have We destroyed﴾, meaning by Our greatness ﴿from a town﴾ that We made like something dry that has been broken, so its parts became distinct, and like a vessel that has been shattered, and its water spilled out. He indicated by the breaking, which is the most severe form of breaking, that they were united in their words and strong in their resolve, like marble in its hardness and strength. And 'how many' in this context implies abundance. Then he explained their destruction and transition by saying: ﴿It was unjust﴾. Then he clarified the needlessness of it by saying: ﴿And We created﴾, meaning by Our greatness.

And when time has never been devoid after Adam of creation and destruction, the intended meaning is that creation after destruction takes time in succession, indicating that those who were destroyed harmed themselves without needing them. He omitted the conjunction and said: ﴿After it a people﴾, meaning strong ones. And he confirmed that there is no close kinship between them by saying: ﴿Others﴾.