2.49–74 – (Remember) when We rescued you from the house of Pharaoh

Direct address to the “Sons of Israel” moves into a story about Israel in the past through the simple expression “and when” (wa idh). The long narrative that follows (vv. 49–73) is a series of reminders, starting with God’s deliverance of the Children of Israel from Egypt and continuing until their worship of the calf. The text slips into commentary and direct address a number of times (e.g., vv. 61, 72), as if the story is being told to a particular audience. Finally, at verse 74 the passage returns to direct address to accuse that “your hearts became hardened after that, and they (became) like stones or even harder.”

There are more stories about Moses in the Quran than about any other character. This first canonical appearance of the stories contains a number of narrative elements familiar from the biblical account of Moses. Several details in the Quran’s story are not found in the Bible – for example, the elaborate search for the right kind of cow to slaughter (vv. 67–71). An even longer Moses story in Sūra 7 parallels this first story in many details and also fills in some of the gaps (7.103–71).

2.53 – And (remember) when We gave Moses the Book and the Deliverance

The Quran acknowledges the pre-Islamic scriptures and always refers to them in the most positive and respectful ways. Often this is with the particular names tawrāt (Torah) and injīl (Evangel or Gospel), but here the Torah is simply the book that Allah gave to Moses. The affirmation “We gave Moses the book” appears again in verse 87.

“Deliverance” translates the Arabic term furqān, which elsewhere is frequently rendered “criterion.” See the comments at 25.1 on furqān, its seven occurrences in the Quran, and what they refer to.