Quran 2:61 — Al-Baqara, verse 61
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
Remember when you said, ‘Moses, we cannot bear to eat only one kind of food, so pray to your Lord to bring out for us some of the earth’s produce, its herbs and cucumbers, its garlic, lentils, and onions.’ He said, ‘Would you exchange better for worse? Go to Egypt and there you will find what you have asked for.’ They were struck with humiliation and wretchedness, and they incurred the wrath of God because they persistently rejected His messages and killed prophets contrary to all that is right. All this was because they disobeyed and were lawbreakers.
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَىٰ لَنْ نَصْبِرَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ الْأَرْضُ مِنْ بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّائِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا ۖ قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَىٰ بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ ۚ اهْبِطُوا مِصْرًا فَإِنَّ لَكُمْ مَا سَأَلْتُمْ ۗ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ
wa-idh qul'tum yāmūsā lan naṣbira ʿalā ṭaʿāmin wāḥidin fa-ud'ʿu lanā rabbaka yukh'rij lanā mimmā tunbitu l-arḍu min baqlihā waqithāihā wafūmihā waʿadasihā wabaṣalihā qāla atastabdilūna alladhī huwa adnā bi-alladhī huwa khayrun ih'biṭū miṣ'ran fa-inna lakum mā sa-altum waḍuribat ʿalayhimu l-dhilatu wal-maskanatu wabāū bighaḍabin mina l-lahi dhālika bi-annahum kānū yakfurūna biāyāti l-lahi wayaqtulūna l-nabiyīna bighayri l-ḥaqi dhālika bimā ʿaṣaw wakānū yaʿtadūna
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- And when you said, 'Moses, we will not endure one sort of food; pray to thy Lord for us, that He may bring forth for us of that the earth produces - green herbs, cucumbers, corn, lentils, onions.' He said, 'Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better? Get you down to Egypt; you shall have there that you demanded.' And abasement and poverty were pitched upon them, and they were laden with the burden of God's anger; that, because they had disbelieved the signs of God and slain the Prophets unrightfully; that, because they disobeyed, and were transgressors.
- Muhammad Asad
- And [remember] when you said: "O Moses, indeed we cannot endure but one kind of food; pray, then, to thy Sustainer that He bring forth for us aught of what grows from the earth - of its herbs, its cucumbers, its garlic, its lentils, its onions." Said [Moses]: "Would you take a lesser thing in exchange for what is [so much] better? Go back in shame to Egypt, and then you can have what you are asking for!" And so, ignominy and humiliation overshadowed them, and they earned the burden of God's condemnation: all this, because they persisted in denying the truth of God's messages and in slaying the prophets against all right: all this, because they rebelled [against God], and persisted in transgressing the bounds of what is right.
- Sahih International
- And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allāh [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allāh and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | وَإِذْwa-idh | And when | — |
| 2 | قُلْتُمْqul'tum | you said | قول |
| 3 | يَـٰمُوسَىٰyāmūsā | O Musa | — |
| 4 | لَنlan | Never (will) | — |
| 5 | نَّصْبِرَnaṣbira | we endure | صبر |
| 6 | عَلَىٰʿalā | [on] | — |
| 7 | طَعَامٍۢṭaʿāmin | food | طعم |
| 8 | وَٰحِدٍۢwāḥidin | (of) one (kind) | وحد |
| 9 | فَٱدْعُfa-ud'ʿu | so pray | دعو |
| 10 | لَنَاlanā | for us | — |
| 11 | رَبَّكَrabbaka | (to) your Lord | ربب |
| 12 | يُخْرِجْyukh'rij | to bring forth | خرج |
| 13 | لَنَاlanā | for us | — |
| 14 | مِمَّاmimmā | out of what | — |
| 15 | تُنۢبِتُtunbitu | grows | نبت |
| 16 | ٱلْأَرْضُl-arḍu | the earth | أرض |
| 17 | مِنۢmin | of | — |
| 18 | بَقْلِهَاbaqlihā | its herbs | بقل |
| 19 | وَقِثَّآئِهَاwaqithāihā | [and] its cucumbers | قثأ |
| 20 | وَفُومِهَاwafūmihā | [and] its garlic | فوم |
| 21 | وَعَدَسِهَاwaʿadasihā | [and] its lentils | عدس |
| 22 | وَبَصَلِهَا ۖwabaṣalihā | and its onions | بصل |
| 23 | قَالَqāla | He said | قول |
| 24 | أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَatastabdilūna | Would you exchange | بدل |
| 25 | ٱلَّذِىalladhī | that which | — |
| 26 | هُوَhuwa | [it] | — |
| 27 | أَدْنَىٰadnā | (is) inferior | دنو |
| 28 | بِٱلَّذِىbi-alladhī | for that which | — |
| 29 | هُوَhuwa | [it] | — |
| 30 | خَيْرٌ ۚkhayrun | (is) better | خير |
| 31 | ٱهْبِطُوا۟ih'biṭū | Go down | هبط |
| 32 | مِصْرًۭاmiṣ'ran | (to) a city | مصر |
| 33 | فَإِنَّfa-inna | so indeed | — |
| 34 | لَكُمlakum | for you | — |
| 35 | مَّاmā | (is) what | — |
| 36 | سَأَلْتُمْ ۗsa-altum | you have asked (for) | سأل |
| 37 | وَضُرِبَتْwaḍuribat | And were struck | ضرب |
| 38 | عَلَيْهِمُʿalayhimu | on them | — |
| 39 | ٱلذِّلَّةُl-dhilatu | the humiliation | ذلل |
| 40 | وَٱلْمَسْكَنَةُwal-maskanatu | and the misery | سكن |
| 41 | وَبَآءُوwabāū | and they drew on themselves | بوأ |
| 42 | بِغَضَبٍۢbighaḍabin | wrath | غضب |
| 43 | مِّنَmina | of | — |
| 44 | ٱللَّهِ ۗl-lahi | Allah | أله |
| 45 | ذَٰلِكَdhālika | That (was) | — |
| 46 | بِأَنَّهُمْbi-annahum | because they | — |
| 47 | كَانُوا۟kānū | used to | كون |
| 48 | يَكْفُرُونَyakfurūna | disbelieve | كفر |
| 49 | بِـَٔايَـٰتِbiāyāti | in (the) Signs | أيي |
| 50 | ٱللَّهِl-lahi | (of) Allah | أله |
| 51 | وَيَقْتُلُونَwayaqtulūna | and kill | قتل |
| 52 | ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَl-nabiyīna | the Prophets | نبأ |
| 53 | بِغَيْرِbighayri | without (any) | غير |
| 54 | ٱلْحَقِّ ۗl-ḥaqi | [the] right | حقق |
| 55 | ذَٰلِكَdhālika | That | — |
| 56 | بِمَاbimā | (was) because | — |
| 57 | عَصَوا۟ʿaṣaw | they disobeyed | عصي |
| 58 | وَّكَانُوا۟wakānū | and they were | كون |
| 59 | يَعْتَدُونَyaʿtadūna | transgressing | عدو |