“And when We took your covenant: ‘Do not shed one another’s blood, nor expel one another from your homes.’ Then you acknowledged it, and you yourselves bear witness. (84) Yet here you are, killing one another and expelling a group among yourselves from their homes, supporting one another against them in sin and aggression. But if they come to you as captives, you ransom them, although their expulsion was forbidden to you. Do you then believe in part of the Book and disbelieve in part? What, then, is the recompense of those among you who do this except disgrace in the life of this world? On the Day of Resurrection, they will be returned to the most severe punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do. (85) Those are the ones who have exchanged the Hereafter for the life of this world. So the punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be helped. (86)

His saying, Exalted is He: “And when We took your covenant: ‘Do not shed your blood’”—that is, do not spill your blood; in other words, let none of you shed another’s blood. It is also said: Do not shed the blood of others, lest your own blood be shed, for then it would be as though you had shed your own blood.

“Nor expel yourselves from your homes”: that is, let none of you drive another from his home. It is also said: Do not mistreat the neighbours living beside you, thereby forcing them to leave because of your bad neighbourliness.

“Then you acknowledged”: you affirmed that this covenant was true and accepted it. “And you yourselves bear witness”: today, O assembly of Jews, you bear witness to this and acknowledge having accepted it.

His saying, Exalted is He: “Yet here you are”: meaning, O you people; “here you are” serves to draw attention. “You kill yourselves”: that is, some of you kill others. (1) “And expel a group among yourselves from their homes, supporting one another against them”: it is recited with a doubled ẓā’, meaning: you support one another.