His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "And We certainly sent Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his people. He said, 'Indeed, I am the messenger of the Lord of the worlds.'" "But when he brought them Our signs, at once they laughed at them." "And We did not show them a sign except that it was greater than its sister. And We seized them with punishment, perhaps they might return." "And they said, 'O magician, invoke for us your Lord by what He has promised you. Indeed, we will be guided.'" "But when We removed the punishment from them, at once they broke their word."

This is a verse that serves as a parable and example for Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, with Moses, may peace be upon him, and for the disbelievers of Quraysh with the people of Pharaoh and his nobles. The signs that were sent with Moses, may peace be upon him, are the nine signs and others that have been reported in the narrations. Allah, exalted and glorified is He, specifically mentioned the nobles because they represent all the people. Then He described them as laughing at the signs of Moses, may peace be upon him, just as Quraysh laughed and mocked the news of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him.

Then He described the manner of presenting the signs to them, and that it was something after something. His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "except that it was greater than its sister" is an expression of the intensity of its impact on their souls due to the novelty of the matter and its occurrence. This is because the first sign that Moses, may peace be upon him, presented was the staff and the hand, and it was the greatest of his signs. Then every sign after that would occur and be magnified in their eyes at its time and grow larger, because they had forgotten the one that they had accepted, as the poet said:

"Though wounds may heal, they are forgotten, and only the lesser is relied upon, even if what is decreed is great."

Al-Tabari went to say that the signs here are the arguments and clear proofs. Then He mentioned, exalted and glorified is He, seizing them with punishment through lice, frogs, blood, and others, just as He seized Quraysh with years of famine and smoke. His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "perhaps they might return" is a hope according to the belief of humans and their assumptions, and "they might return" means: they repent and cease.

And His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "And they said, 'O magician'" it is possible that the one who said that was someone who informed them of the disbelief in magic, so his saying is mockery while he knows the worth of magic and the lowliness of its status. And his saying: "by what He has promised you" means: in your claim and according to your words. It is also possible that the speaker was not among the rebellious experts among them. The term magician could be used for one of two reasons: either because magic was among their common knowledge, as if he said: O learned one, or because this name had been applied to Moses, may peace be upon him, at the time of his first appearance, and this speaker adopted it in addressing him with little refinement and ignorance. And the saying - according to this interpretation - is serious from the speaker, and his saying: "Indeed, we will be guided" means: if your invocation benefits us. And this interpretation is more likely, meaning that the words of this speaker are associated with seriousness. Ibn Amer alone read: "O magician" with a rounded letter 'h' only.

Then Allah, exalted and glorified is He, informed that when He removed the punishment from them, they broke their word, and if the words had been jest from the beginning, there would not have been a breaking of the word.