﴿That is﴾ meaning: He, glorified and exalted is He, with what He has of this tremendous description, causes His enemy to taste of His punishment what they have no strength to bear and cannot withstand. So the state of affairs becomes as if it is addressing them in place of the saying: The matter that the messengers warned you of and the books brought to you, and you used to mock it, O disbelievers, is this severe matter, the impact of which is far-reaching upon whom it is descended. Why do you not defend against it! No, by Allah, each one was occupied with what confronted him and could not evade it.

And when what occurred to them in the battle of Badr of killing, captivity, and humiliation was very minor compared to what they have in the Hereafter, He called it tasting because it would be with little to be known by it the state of the many. So He said: ﴿So taste it﴾ meaning: experience it directly, the overpowering experience of the taster, and know that it is in relation to what you will face like the tasted in relation to the tasted for its sake. ﴿And that﴾ meaning: and the matter that the messengers and the books brought to you is that you have with this which you have tasted in this world, thus was the origin, but it was made apparent for generalization and connection with the description. So He said: ﴿For the disbelievers﴾ meaning: for their disbelief, even if they did not show opposition. ﴿The punishment of the Fire﴾ and it is your places, and it is greater, and you will see.