Verse 73
The Cow • madinah
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Important Words:
قتلتم (you slew) is derived from قتل which means: (1) he killed; (2) he attempted to kill; (3) he rendered a person like unto one killed (see also 2:62).
نفساً (a person) has been used here as نکرة i.e. in an indefinite or undefined form. It may, according to the rules of the Arabic language, refer either to an unimportant person that need not be named, or to a very important personage; for sometimes a word used as نکرة denotes a sense of greatness (Mutawwal).
فادارءتم (differed among yourselves) is derived from درأ meaning, he repelled it or he thrust it back. ادارءتم is originally تدارءتمmeaning: (1) you repelled one another by casting blame or responsibility on one another; (2) you disagreed or differed among yourselves (Aqrab & Lane).
تکتمون (you concealed). See 2: 34.
Commentary:
See under next verse.
Qataltum means, you sought, attempted, claimed, or made up your mind, to kill (40:29), or you made him appear as dead; you almost killed him. They say Qatala-hu, i.e. he rendered him like one killed physically or morally (Lane). The famous saying of ‘Umar, viz. Uqtulu Sa‘dan, has been taken to signify, render Sa‘d like one who is, to all intents and purposes, dead.
Nafsan used as Nakirah, i.e. in an undefined form, according to Arabic grammar may refer to a very important personage (Mutawwal).
In the foregoing verses some of the evil practices and crimes of the Jews were mentioned. This verse refers to their crowning guilt, i.e. they sought to kill Jesus on the Cross and thus to show that according to the Bible he was a false prophet (Deut. 21: 23). In this nefarious attempt they utterly failed. Jesus was taken down from the Cross alive but like one dead. For the historical fact that Jesus did not die on the Cross but was taken down alive like one dead. See {2000}.
The clause signifies that a time will come when the truth about Jesus’s death will come to light and the mask which had so long been hanging over the incident will be lifted.