This mostly-narrative passage fills in the transition from the judgment upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians, after the Hebrews crossing of the sea, to the judgment upon the Hebrews who made the golden calf. The first anecdote (in verses 138-140) describes an encounter between the Hebrews and some idolaters. At first glance, this appears to be an episode without a Biblical parallel. It does not fit the Hebrews encounter with the Moabites (which came after Sinai), or with the Amalekites (which led to a battle, in Exodus 17:8-16).
We may be looking at a brief saying which was first casually given, and was incorporated into this surah later. At www.tafsir.com/default.as...&tid=18636 a hadith-story is given to the effect that when Muhammad was leading his forces to battle (the battle of Hunayn) some of Muhammads friends saw that the unbelievers had a specially-designated tree on which they would hang their weapons ~ Dhat Al-Anwat. They asked Muhammad to appoint such a tree for them. He replied that they had just said what the people of Moses said to Moses, Make for us a god as they have gods -- and the saying proceeds to provide the substance of verse 139. If this brief story originated in such a setting, then Muhammad may have had in mind Exodus 32:1, in which the Israelites say to Aaron (not Moses), "Come, make us gods [or "a god"] that shall go before us," and this saying was subsequently integrated into the surrounding text. (The Hebrews, having lived in Egypt where the Apis-bull was one of many idols, hardly needed any new influence to spark a revival of idolatry.)
Verse 141 more or less echoes 2:49, for no apparent reason. Then the text describes an encounter between Moses and Allah on Mount Sinai: Exodus 24:18s description of a 40-day stay is accepted, but with the clarification that Allah had originally appointed only 30 days for Moses to stay there.
The Islamic explanation for this is that Moses had fasted for 30 days, and then brushed his teeth, but after he had brushed his teeth an angel informed him that his breath had lost its nice musk-like smell; ten days were added so that the nice musk-like smell of Moses breath would return. Thus the text creates a parallel between the intended length of Moses fast, and the length of the fast of Ramadan. Exodus does not say that Moses fasted during his 40-day visit to Mount Sinai. However, the idea was probably well-known to the Jews in Arabia. Centuries earlier, Philo had written in "Life of Moses," Part II, section XIV-(68) [which used to be referenced with a different system as Book III:1, I think] -- which can be accessed at www.earlychristianwriting...ook25.html that when Moses ascended Mount Sinai, "He neglected all meat and drink for forty days together."
Verse 143 resembles Exodus 33:18-23, condensed in some details and embellished in others especially in the Qurans statement that the mountain "collapsed to dust" when Allah appeared there. A hadith attached to v. 143 states that what Muhammad delivered this verse, he also explained that only a tiny portion of Allah actually appeared to Moses and as he said this, Muhammad held out the tip of one finger, signifying the revealed portion. This probably indicates Muhammads recollection of Exodus 31:18 (" He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God." -- verse 145 refers to Allah writing the tablets). Moses response to the manifestation of Allahs glory includes the statement, "I am the first of the believers," which creates a slight problem since elsewhere in the Quran, Muhammad and Abraham are also pictured making such a claim.
The first part of verse 145 resembles Exodus 31:18. The second part seems to anticipate Moses vision (from Mount Pisgah, years later) of the Promised Land which was then inhabited by the Canaanites. (It may be, though, an allusion to the destroyed homes of unbelievers mentioned in the preceding accounts of Salih, Hud, Shuaib, et al.) Then verses 146-147 return to the surahs main theme: Allah will punish the arrogant disbelievers who reject Allahs revelation.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
We may be looking at a brief saying which was first casually given, and was incorporated into this surah later. At www.tafsir.com/default.as...&tid=18636 a hadith-story is given to the effect that when Muhammad was leading his forces to battle (the battle of Hunayn) some of Muhammads friends saw that the unbelievers had a specially-designated tree on which they would hang their weapons ~ Dhat Al-Anwat. They asked Muhammad to appoint such a tree for them. He replied that they had just said what the people of Moses said to Moses, Make for us a god as they have gods -- and the saying proceeds to provide the substance of verse 139. If this brief story originated in such a setting, then Muhammad may have had in mind Exodus 32:1, in which the Israelites say to Aaron (not Moses), "Come, make us gods [or "a god"] that shall go before us," and this saying was subsequently integrated into the surrounding text. (The Hebrews, having lived in Egypt where the Apis-bull was one of many idols, hardly needed any new influence to spark a revival of idolatry.)
Verse 141 more or less echoes 2:49, for no apparent reason. Then the text describes an encounter between Moses and Allah on Mount Sinai: Exodus 24:18s description of a 40-day stay is accepted, but with the clarification that Allah had originally appointed only 30 days for Moses to stay there.
The Islamic explanation for this is that Moses had fasted for 30 days, and then brushed his teeth, but after he had brushed his teeth an angel informed him that his breath had lost its nice musk-like smell; ten days were added so that the nice musk-like smell of Moses breath would return. Thus the text creates a parallel between the intended length of Moses fast, and the length of the fast of Ramadan. Exodus does not say that Moses fasted during his 40-day visit to Mount Sinai. However, the idea was probably well-known to the Jews in Arabia. Centuries earlier, Philo had written in "Life of Moses," Part II, section XIV-(68) [which used to be referenced with a different system as Book III:1, I think] -- which can be accessed at www.earlychristianwriting...ook25.html that when Moses ascended Mount Sinai, "He neglected all meat and drink for forty days together."
Verse 143 resembles Exodus 33:18-23, condensed in some details and embellished in others especially in the Qurans statement that the mountain "collapsed to dust" when Allah appeared there. A hadith attached to v. 143 states that what Muhammad delivered this verse, he also explained that only a tiny portion of Allah actually appeared to Moses and as he said this, Muhammad held out the tip of one finger, signifying the revealed portion. This probably indicates Muhammads recollection of Exodus 31:18 (" He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God." -- verse 145 refers to Allah writing the tablets). Moses response to the manifestation of Allahs glory includes the statement, "I am the first of the believers," which creates a slight problem since elsewhere in the Quran, Muhammad and Abraham are also pictured making such a claim.
The first part of verse 145 resembles Exodus 31:18. The second part seems to anticipate Moses vision (from Mount Pisgah, years later) of the Promised Land which was then inhabited by the Canaanites. (It may be, though, an allusion to the destroyed homes of unbelievers mentioned in the preceding accounts of Salih, Hud, Shuaib, et al.) Then verses 146-147 return to the surahs main theme: Allah will punish the arrogant disbelievers who reject Allahs revelation.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
