Taberî explains the expression 'injustice' (zulm) in the verse as placing one's deeds in wrong places, seeking permission from the Prophet with wrong intentions, or conveying believers' words to hypocrites. He also states that the reason Jews avoid wishing for death is that they know Muhammad is the true prophet yet deny him, and this denial is expressed through the phrase 'by what their hands have earned.' He clarifies that the expression 'by what their hands have earned' is a metaphor in Arabic, and it is common in Arabic usage to attribute every sin a person commits—regardless of which organ is involved—to the hands.

وإنما ذلك مثل على نحو ما تتمثل به العرب في كلامها، فتقول للرجل يؤخذ بجريرة جرها أو جناية جناها فيعاقب عليها: نالك هذا بما جنت يداك، وبما كسبت يداك، وبما قدمت يداك؛ فتضيف ذلك إلى اليد

According to Zemahşerî, Allah's names 'All-Knowing' (Alîm) and 'All-Wise' (Hakîm) express that He knows everything past and future, and also knows the situation of every individual including desert and city dwellers, and gives everyone punishment or reward befitting their deeds with wisdom. There is a difference of opinion regarding the word 'al-mart' (the lifespan/appointed time) in the verse: according to some it is general and includes the disbeliever, but according to Qatada it specifically refers to the believer and points to the differences in ranks among believers.

يعلم حال كل أحد من أهل الوبر والمدر { حكيم } فيما يصيب به مسيئهم ومحسنهم ومخطئهم ومصيبهم من عقابه وثوابه

According to Kurtubî, in this verse the Jews' avoidance of wishing for death stems from their certain belief regarding the punishment that will befall them due to their past sins and disbelief; the response to the 'if only' (lolâ) clause is omitted, and its implied meaning concerns whether they would wish if not for the punishment that would strike them because of their sins. He also states that the specific mention of hands is because earning actions are mostly done with hands. The text transmits three views regarding their avoidance of wishing: their fear of punishment, their knowing that they would actually die if they wished, or Allah preventing them from wishing to make it a miracle of the Prophet.

وجواب لولا محذوف أي لولا أن يصيبهم عذاب بسبب معاصيهم المتقدمة تحقيقا لكذبهم وايضا لو تمنوا الموت لماتوا ورأوا مقامهم من النار وقيل : إن الله صرفهم عن إظهار التمني وقصرهم على الإمساك ليجعل ذلك آية لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم

According to Beydâvî, this verse contains a challenge meant to refute the Jews' claim that the afterlife belongs only to them: if they are sincere in their claim, they should wish for death, because one who is promised paradise desires to meet it. However, they will never wish for this because of the sins they committed in the past such as disbelief and distortion; this is news from the unseen given by the Qur'an and it has come to pass, for wishing is not a hidden heart action that could remain secret, but a spoken word uttered openly, and if it had been said, it would have spread.

ولن يتمنوه أبدا بما قدمت أيديهم من موجبات النار، كالكفر بمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، والقرآن، وتحريف التوراة. ولما كانت اليد العاملة مختصة بالإنسان، آلة لقدرته بها عامة صنائعه ومنها أكثر منافعه، عبر بها عن النفس تارة والقدرة أخرى

In this text, Râzî notes that not wishing for death does not stem from the pain of death itself, just as the pain in cupping does not prevent someone from cupping when its great benefit is known, and similarly the situation here is the same. He also states that the difference between Muhammad and others stems from his not having completed his law-giving mission yet, that the news of disbelievers never saying this word is knowledge from the unseen, and that this can only be known through revelation.

الفرق بين محمد عليه السلام وبينهم أن محمدا كان يقول إني بعثت لتبليغ الشرائع إلى أهل التواتر

Ibn Kesîr transmits Ibn Abbas's interpretation—that the reason for not wishing is a curse/supplication (mubahala) regarding which of the two sides (Jews or Muslims) is more truthful—as the preferred view. He also transmits this view from Qatada, Abul-Aliya, and Rabî' b. Anes, and relates it to a similar verse in Sura al-Jumu'a; he states that because the world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever, they desired to postpone death.

وهو الدعاء على أي الفريقين أكذب منهم أو من المسلمين على وجه المباهلة ونقله ابن جرير عن قتادة وأبي العالية والربيع بن أنس رحمهم الله تعالى