And when the despicable, contemptible one was addressed by the great, noble one with what he hoped would deter him from confronting him with what he disliked, and would return him to his flattery, he did not do so. He understood what was in the response of this latter one, which was reproach for him and a declaration of his inability, and the affirmation of the complete power and all-encompassing knowledge of Allah, regarding what He decreed in the matter of Musa, peace be upon him. And he could not respond to that with an answer, nor was there any praise for him in it. He turned away from it to his response about the message with what he would also use to deceive his people so that they would not turn away from him. So Allah, the Exalted, informed about his conversation in this matter by saying in the manner of a response to one who might have said: What did he say to him in response to these words, which were like arrows?: "Pharaoh said," diverting from the response of Musa, peace be upon him, due to what was in it of his rebuke and declaration of his inability, denying his Creator in a manner of ignorance, just as these people denied the Most Merciful while they were the most knowledgeable of people regarding most of His actions. Just as Pharaoh knew from the words of Musa, peace be upon him: "Indeed, you know that none has sent these except the Lord of the heavens and the earth": "And what is the Lord of the worlds?" [meaning]: The one whom you claimed that you are His messenger. So he asked with "what" about its reality, and he intended by it, in reality, to deny it.