“And defer you until an appointed term”: that is, until your lifespans have run their course, so that He does not hasten to punish you.

“They said”—to the messengers—“You are nothing but human beings like ourselves”—in outward form, not angels. “You only wish,” by what you say, “to turn us away from what our forefathers used to worship. So bring us a clear proof”: a manifest argument establishing the truth of your claim.