According to Taberî, this verse teaches believers the response they should give to the call of Jews and Christians to 'become Jewish or Christian so that you may be guided'. It is necessary to believe collectively in Allah, the Book revealed to the Prophet, what was revealed to Ibrahim, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, the Torah given to Moses, the Gospel given to Jesus, and the Books given to all prophets. This faith should not be in the form of accepting some prophets and rejecting others; rather, instead of testifying some prophets as true and denying others as the Jews and Christians do, it should be witnessed that all of them are messengers sent by Allah upon truth and guidance.

لا نؤمن ببعض الأنبياء ونكفر ببعض، ونتبرأ من بعض، ونتولى بعضا، كما تبرأت اليهود من عيسى ومحمد عليهما السلام وأقرت بغيرهما من الأنبياء، وكما تبرأت النصارى من محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وأقرت بغيره من الأنبياء؛ بل نشهد لجميعهم أنهم كانوا رسل الله وأنبياءه، بعثوا بالحق والهدى

In this text, Râzî first explains that the word 'asbât' means tribe for the Children of Israel, citing Halil and Zemahşerî. Then he gives two interpretations of the phrase 'we make no distinction': not believing in some prophets and denying others, or accepting that their religious principles are not separate and that all of them are united upon Islam. He also notes that the necessity of believing in all prophets has the benefits of proving that the Prophet is one who testifies all prophets and of criticizing the inconsistent sects of the People of the Book that are based on miracles.

أما قوله : ففيه وجهان . الأول : أنا لا نؤمن ببعض ونكفر ببعض ، فإنا لو فعلنا ذلك كانت المناقضة لازمة على الدليل وذلك غير جائز . الثاني : لا نفرق بين أحد منهم ، أي لا نقول : إنهم متفرقون في أصول الديانات ، بل هم مجتمعون على الأصول التي هي الإسلام

Kurtubî first explains this verse through a hadith and practices of the predecessors: it is recommended that 'we believe in Allah and what is revealed' is said without either confirming or denying what the People of the Book say. Then, according to a narration from Ibn Abbas, the reason for the revelation of the verse is that the Jews asked the Prophet which prophets he believed in, and when it came to Jesus, they refused to believe. The text also discusses in detail the linguistic plural structures of names such as Ibrahim, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, Israel, and the meaning of the word 'asbât' (the twelve sons of Jacob).

قال بن عباس : جاء نفر من اليهود إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فسألوه عمن يؤمن به من الأنبياء فنزلت الآية فلما جاء ذكر عيسى قالوا : لا نؤمن بعيسى ولا من آمن به

Ibn Kesîr states that the term 'asbât' (descendants/tribes) mentioned in the verse refers to the branches of the Children of Israel spreading from the twelve sons of Prophet Jacob. He explains that revelation to these tribes is mentioned collectively, but there is no definitive proof regarding which specific individuals from these tribes actually received prophethood.

يذكر تعالى أنه أوحى إلى الأنبياء من أسباط بني إسرائيل فذكرهم إجمالا لأنهم كثيرون ولكن كل سبط من نسل رجل من إخوة يوسف ولم يقم دليل على أعيان هؤلاء أنهم أوحي إليهم والله أعلم

According to Beydâvî, the verse mentions the Qur'an first because it comes before us or because belief in other books is dependent upon it. He states that what was revealed to Ibrahim, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob and the asbât was 'scrolls', which although originally revealed to Ibrahim, are also counted as revealed to his descendants because they too were bound by these rulings. The reason why Moses and Jesus are mentioned separately with the Torah and Gospel is that the ruling concerning these two books differs from the earlier ones and disagreements are concentrated in them.

وهي وإن نزلت إلى إبراهيم لكنهم لما كانوا متعبدين بتفاصيلها داخلين تحت أحكامها فهي أيضا منزلة إليهم، كما أن القرآن منزل إلينا