Al-A'raf: 160
{And We divided them into twelve tribes}
We made them into qiṭaʿ (pieces/sections), meaning distinct groups, separating them from one another due to the lack of harmony between them. It is also recited as wa-qaṭṭaʿnāhum (with the tashdīd).
{Twelve tribes}
This is like saying "twelve clans." Asbāṭ (tribes) are the children of children; it is the plural of sibt. They were twelve tribes descending from the twelve sons of Jacob, peace be upon him.
If you ask: The specifier (tamyīz) for numbers above ten is usually singular, so how can it be plural here? Why was it not said: ithnay ʿashara sibṭan?
I reply: If that had been said, it would not have been precise. The intent is: "We divided them into twelve clans," and each clan consists of many asbāṭ (descendants), not just one sibt. Thus, asbāṭ was placed in the position of "clans." A parallel to this is the poet's phrase: "Between the spears of Mālik and Nahshal."
{And [as] nations}
This is a substitute (badal) for "twelve," meaning: We divided them into nations, for each sibt was a great nation and a numerous group, and each one tended toward a different direction than the other, barely harmonizing. It is also recited as ithnatay ʿashrata with a kasra on the shīn.
{Then gushed forth}
Meaning: it burst forth. The meaning is the same: opening with breadth and abundance. Al-ʿAjjāj said: "Like the two buckets of a water-drawer gushing forth."
If you ask: Why was it not said: "He struck, then it gushed forth"?
I reply: To avoid ambiguity, and to make the gushing a direct consequence of the revelation to strike the rock. This indicates that the one to whom it was revealed did not hesitate to follow the command, and that he was so free of doubt that there was no need to explicitly state the striking.
{Every people}
This is analogous to "twelve tribes," meaning every nation of those twelve nations. Unās is a collective noun, not a broken plural, similar to rikhāl, tanāʾ, and tuwām. It is also possible to say that the origin is kisr (breaking), and the ḍamma is a substitute for the kasra, just as it is substituted for the fatḥa in words like sukārā and ghayārā.
{And We shaded them with clouds}
We made it a shade for them in the wilderness.
{And eat}
Implied is the command: "And it was said to them: Eat..."
{And they did not wrong Us}
The harm of their wrongdoing through ingratitude for the blessings did not return to Us; rather, they were harming themselves, and the consequence of their wrongdoing returned to them.
Al-A'raf: 161
{And [mention] when it was said to them, "Dwell in this city and eat from it wherever you will and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens,' and enter the gate bowing humbly; We will [then] forgive you your sins. We will increase the doers of good [in reward]."}
{But those who wronged among them changed [those] words to a statement other than that which had been said to them, so We sent upon them a punishment from the sky for the wrong that they were doing.}
