Many people do not know Allah. This series (1-76) is an attempt to help them to know their Creator.

Verses 7:162-163 of the Noble Quran talk about: 1) Have the Israelites wronged Allah or wronged Themselves? 2) Allah Commanded the Israelites to say : Forgive our sins but they said..., 3) When the Israelites substituted the Word Hittah by Hintah? 4) Allah Commanded the Israelites to prostrate  they dragged themselves on their rears, 5) Why Allah sent down upon the Israelites the plague? 6) the story of the city dwelled by the Israelites that was by the Red Sea, 7) How did the Israelites break the Sabbath by fishing? And 8) How did Allah try and test the Israelites?

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In the previous article (75)

And of Moses' folk there is a community, a group who lead with, enjoin, truth and establish justice therewith; they act upon the Truth.

And Allah divided the Children of Israel, into twelve tribes.

And Allah revealed to Moses: ‘Strike the rock with your staff', and he struck it, and there gushed forth, burst forth, from it twelve fountains, equal to the number of tribes, each people,

And Allah made the cloud overshadow them, in the wilderness, from the heat of the sun,

Allah sent down to them manna and quails and said to them: ‘Eat of the good things We have provided for you.'

And, when it was said unto them: Dwell in this township, and eat therefrom whence you will, and whenever you will, and say "Repentance"; and say: there is no deity except Allah; it is also said that this means: say O Our Lord! Forgive our sins, and enter the gate of the township prostrate; Allah shall forgive you your sins; He shall increase (reward) for the right doers in their good works.

Have they (the Israelites) said what they were supposed to say?

No., Allah says: And they did not wrong Us, but they wronged themselves.

i.e. They wronged Us not, they did not hurt or harm Us because of what they committed, but they were wont to wrong themselves, to harm and hurt themselves.

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The meaning of verse 7:162

But the evildoers among them substituted a saying other than that which had been said to them, they said instead: ‘A grain inside a hair' and entered the gate of the township dragging themselves on their rears.  In the previous article (75), Allah Commanded them to enter the gate of the township prostrate; Then, Allah shall forgive them their sins, i.e. they were supposed to enter the  gate of the township prostrating; but they entered the gate of the township dragging themselves on their rears.

So Allah sent down upon them terror, a chastisement, from the heaven for their evildoing.

In other words, the verse says:

But those of them who did wrong, the sinning people changed the word which had been told them for another saying; they were commanded to say " hittah [that means there is no deity except Allah; or as in the other meaning: forgive our sins] but instead they said " hintah that means wheat, a grain inside a hair ; they did not fear their Creator.

So, Allah sent down upon them wrath from heaven; He sent upon them the plague from heaven for their wrong-doing) for changing what they were commanded to say.

In the previous article (75), Allah says: And they (the Israelites) did not wrong Us, but they wronged themselves. i.e. they did not hurt or harm Allah because of what they committed, but they were wont to wrong themselves, to harm and hurt themselves.

The meaning of verse 7:163

And question them, O Muhammad, in rebuke, about the city that was by the sea, bordering the Red Sea about what befell its inhabitants (from among the Israelites), how they would transgress, violate, the Sabbath, by fishing, which they had been commanded not to do on that day; how their fish would come to them on the day of their Sabbath floating at the surface, visible at the surface of the water; but on the day they did not observe the Sabbath, when they would not consecrate the Sabbath over the other days, they would not come to them, as a trial from Allah. Thus, Allah was trying them for their wickedness. And when they went to fish, the city split into three: one third joined the fishing party, another prohibited them, while a third abstained from both fishing and prohibiting.

In other words, the verse says:

Ask the Jews, O Muhammad about the story of the township that was by the sea, how they did break the Sabbath; they used to transgress on the Sabbath by taking the fish, how their big fish came unto them visibly, scores and scores of them, from deep inside up to the shore upon their Sabbath day and on a day when they did not keep Sabbath came they not unto them. Thus did Allah try them, test them for that they were evil-doers.

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Verses 7:162-163 in different English translations of the meanings of Arabic Quran:

Verse 7:162

QARIB: the wicked amongst them changed what was said for other words. therefore we sent down upon them from heaven a punishment for their evil doing.

SHAKIR: but those who were unjust among them changed it for a saying other than that which had been spoken to them; so we sent upon them a pestilence from heaven because they were unjust

PICKTHAL: but those of them who did wrong changed the word which had been told them for another saying, and we sent down upon them wrath from heaven for their wrongdoing.

YUSUFALI: but the transgressors among them changed the word from that which had been given them so we sent on them a plague from heaven. for that they repeatedly transgressed.

Verse 7:163

QARIB: ask them about the village that overlooked the sea and what befell (its people) when they broke the sabbath. each sabbath, their fish came swimming towards the shore, but on other days they did not come to them. as such we tempted them (the people) because they had done wrong.

SHAKIR: and ask them about the town which stood by the sea; when they exceeded the limits of the sabbath, when their fish came to them on the day of their sabbath, appearing on the surface of the water, and on the day on which they did not keep the sabbath they did not come to them; thus did we try them because they transgressed

PICKTHAL: ask them (o muhammad) of the township that was by the sea, how they did break the sabbath, how their big fish came unto them visibly upon their sabbath day and on a day when they did not keep sabbath came they not unto them. thus did we try them for that they were evil-livers.

YUSUFALI: ask them concerning the town standing close by the sea. behold! they transgressed in the matter of the sabbath. for on the day of their sabbath their fish did come to them, openly holding up their heads, but on the day they had no sabbath, they came not: thus did we make a trial of them, for they were given to transgression.