According to Taberî, the phrase 'Yusuf and his brother' in the verse refers not to what happened to Yusuf, but to the separation that the brothers caused between him and his brother. The meaning of the verse is to remind the brothers of what they did to Yusuf and his brother, that they separated the two from each other, and that they committed this act in a state of ignorance of the consequences.

فتأويل الكلام: هل تذكرون ما فعلتم بيوسف وأخيه، إذ فرقتم بينهما وصنعتم ما صنعتم إذ أنتم جاهلون

According to Zemahşerî, Yusuf's address to his brothers as 'those who are ignorant' (câhilîn) is not a reproach but a religious compassion and advice; the meaning is that if they had been aware of the ugliness of their deed and turned to repentance, they would not have spoken these words. Furthermore, different meanings have also been given to the word 'câhilîn' such as those who make mistakes, those who have gone astray from the right path, those who have forgotten, or children who have not yet reached the age of maturity.

فكان كلامه شفقة عليهم وتنصحا لهم في الدين ، لا معاتبة وتثريبا ؛ إيثارا لحق الله على حق نفسه

According to this exegete, different narrations have been transmitted regarding the reason Yusuf revealed his identity: according to one view, he was moved to deep emotion upon reading a letter from his father Yacub, according to another view, his brothers' pleading and their account of the difficulties they were in awakened mercy in him, and upon this he revealed his identity. Furthermore, the content of Yacub's letter is related in detail, and in the letter the calamities that the family suffered in the past are recounted (Abraham being cast into the fire, Isaac being about to be sacrificed, the loss of Yusuf and the detention of Benjamin).

قيل إنه لما قرأ كتاب أبيه يعقوب ارتعدت مفاصله واقشعر جلده ولان قلبه وكثر بكاؤه وصرح بأنه يوسف . وقيل : إنه لما رأى إخوته تضرعوا إليه ووصفوا ما هم عليه من شدة الزمان وقلة الحيلة أدركته الرقة فصرح حينئذ بأنه يوسف

According to Kurtubî, this phrase shows that Yusuf's brothers were still young in age and not yet prophets when they threw him into the well; for being characterized with ignorance can only apply to those who possess this characteristic (young/ignorant). This phrase also indicates that their present condition (which they confessed to) has improved, that is, it indicates that they committed that deed when they were young and ignorant. The words 'We were truly wrongdoers' refer to after they grew up and the fact that they did not tell their fathers about what they did out of shame and fear; according to another view, this ignorance means not knowing where the matter would lead.

دليل على أنهم كانوا صغارا في وقت أخذهم ليوسف غير أنبياء لأنه لا يوصف بالجهل إلا من كانت هذه صفته ويدل على أنه حسنت حالهم الآن أي فعلتم ذلك إذ أنتم صغار جهال قال معناه بن عباس والحسن

According to Ibn Kesîr, this phrase indicates that the 'ignorance' attributed to the brothers stemmed from their failure to comprehend the magnitude of the crime they committed. Based on the view of some of the predecessors, he reports that everyone who disobeyed Allah was considered 'ignorant' in this sense. This ignorance relates to their making a distinction between him and their father, that is, their separation of him from his brother.

كل من عصى الله فهو جاهل

According to Beydâvî, when Yusuf says to his brothers 'Did you know what you did to Yusuf and his brother,' he is asking whether they realized the ugliness of this deed and whether they repented; what they did to his brother was to separate him from Yusuf and reduce him to a helpless and wretched state. He spoke these words not to reproach them, but for the purpose of advice, encouraging repentance, and taking pity on their helplessness. His characterizing them as 'ignorant' stems either from the fact that their deed is the deed of the ignorant, or from the fact that they were still immature, foolish children at that time.

وإنما قال ذلك تنصيحا لهم وتحريضا على التوبة، وشفقة عليهم لما رأى من عجزهم وتمسكنهم لا معاتبة وتثريبا