Al-Baqarah: 246
"To a prophet of theirs"
He is Joshua, Simeon, or Samuel.
"Appoint for us a king"
Raise up for us a commander to fight alongside us, whose opinion we follow in the management of war, and whose command we obey.
They requested of their prophet what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do regarding appointing commanders over the armies he dispatched, and ordering them to obey him and comply with his commands.
It is narrated that he commanded people, when they travel, to appoint one of them as their leader.
"That we may fight"
It is read with a nun and jazm (jussive) as a response to the request. It is also read with a nun and raf' (nominative) as a circumstantial state (hal), meaning: "Appoint him for us, while we intend to fight." Or, it is an initiation of speech, as if he said to them, "What will you do with a king?" and they replied, "We will fight." It is also read as yuqatil (in the third person, with a ya).
"And the jazm is for the response, and the raf' is as an adjective for 'a king'."
"The predicate of 'Asaytum' (Are you likely)..."
"That you would not fight"
The conditional particle separates them. The meaning is: "Have you neared the point of not fighting?" That is, is the matter as I expect—that you will not fight? He intended to say, "You are likely not to fight," in the sense of "I expect your cowardice regarding fighting." He inserted hal (interrogative) to inquire about what he expects and suspects.
He intended by the interrogation to confirm and establish that what is expected will occur, and that he is correct in his expectation, like the saying of the Almighty:
"Has there come upon man..." (Al-Insan: 1) — its meaning is confirmation.
It is read as 'Asaytum' with a kasra on the sin, though it is weak.
"And what reason do we have not to fight?"
What motive do we have to abandon fighting, and what purpose would we have in doing so?
"When we have been driven out of our homes and our children?"
The people of Goliath used to live on the coast of the Roman Sea between Egypt and Palestine, and they had taken four hundred and forty of their children captive.
"Except for a few of them"
It is said that the few were three hundred and thirteen, the same number as the people of Badr.
"And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers"
A threat to them for their wrongdoing in refraining from fighting and abandoning Jihad.
"And their prophet said to them, 'Indeed, Allah has sent to you...'"
"Saul (Talut) as a king."
They said, "How can he have kingship over us when we are more worthy of kingship than him, and he has not been given an abundance of wealth?" He said, "Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing."
