The Jews are described as being stingy and envious, which are two evil traits. They withhold what they have been given of blessings and wish that others do not have blessings. So He said, "Or do they have a share in the kingdom?" The phrase "or" is disconnected. The meaning of the disconnection is to deny that they have a share in the kingdom. Then He said, "If so, they would not give anyone even a small amount due to their extreme stinginess." The small amount refers to the tiny indentation on the back of a date seed, which is a metaphor for scarcity, like a thread or a tiny fiber. The intended meaning of the kingdom is either the kingdom of the people of this world or the kingdom of Allah, as His saying goes: "Say, 'If you possessed the treasures of the mercy of my Lord, you would withhold for fear of spending.'" This describes them as miserly, and it is better for its correspondence to similar verses in the Qur'an. It is possible that the meaning of the disconnection in "or" is to deny that they have been given a share in the kingdom, while they were owners of wealth, gardens, and grand palaces, as is the state of kings. They do not give anyone anything from what they own. Ibn Mas'ud read: "If so, they would not give," applying the conditionality of "if" which is in the accusative case, and it is disregarded in the reading of the general public, as if it were said: "So they do not give people even a small amount." Then He said, "Or do they envy people?" Rather, do they envy the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and the believers for denying envy and finding it repugnant? They were envious of them for what Allah had given them of victory, dominance, and increasing honor and advancement every day. So He has given them a binding proof of what they knew of Allah's giving the Book and wisdom to the family of Ibrahim, who are the ancestors of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and that it is not strange for Allah to give him what He gave to his ancestors.

And from Ibn Abbas: The kingdom in the family of Ibrahim refers to the kingdoms of Yusuf, Dawud, and Sulayman. It was said: They found it excessive to have nine wives, and they were told: How could you find it excessive for him to have nine when Dawud had a hundred and Sulayman had three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines? So among them, some of the Jews believed in what was mentioned about the family of Ibrahim, and among them, some turned away from it and denied it despite knowing its truth. Or among the Jews, some believed in the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and some denied his prophethood. Or among the family of Ibrahim, some believed in Ibrahim, and some disbelieved, as His saying goes: "So among them are those guided, and many of them are disobedient."