وَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ كِتَابٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِمَا مَعَهُمْ وَكَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ يَسْتَفْتِحُونَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ مَا عَرَفُوا كَفَرُوا بِهِ فَلَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿89﴾ بِئْسَمَا اشْتَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ أَنْ يَكْفُرُوا بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بَغْيًا أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ عَلَى غَضَبٍ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ ﴿90﴾

﴾89﴿ Wa lammaa jaaa'ahum Kitaabum min 'indil laahi musaddiqul limaa ma'ahum wa kaanoo min qablu yastaftihoona 'alal lazeena kafaroo falammaa jaaa'ahum maa 'arafoo kafaroo bih; fala 'natul laahi 'alal kaafireen
﴾90﴿ Bi'samash taraw biheee anfusahum ai yakfuroo bimaaa anzalal laahu baghyan ai yunazzilal laahu min fadlihee 'alaa mai yashaaa'u min ibaadihee fabaaa'oo bighadabin 'alaa ghadab; wa lilkaafireena 'azaabum muheen

﴾89﴿ And when there came to them a Book from Allah (the Qur’an), confirming what was with them, and they used to previously announce (the coming of the Final Prophet) to the disbelievers (the unlettered Arabs)—then when there came to them what they recognized, they denied it. So the curse of Allah is upon the disbelievers.
﴾90﴿ Evil indeed is that for which they sold their souls: that they disbelieve in the Book which Allah has sent down, out of envy, because Allah sends down His grace upon whom He wills from among His servants. So they incurred wrath upon wrath. And for the disbelievers is a humiliating punishment.

[89] From this verse up to verse 91 is the fifth address, in which another wickedness of the Children of Israel is mentioned—that despite their knowledge of the Last Prophet, they rejected him in opposition. Then in two verses, both addresses are concluded with admonition. The phrase “فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ” implies a hidden consequence (admonition), meaning that they disbelieved. The word “يَسْتَفْتِحُونَ” has multiple interpretations: one meaning is “they were writing it below (in scriptures).” Another meaning is that they were questioning the pagans from time to time regarding this Prophet, and in both interpretations, “فتح” (fath) means knowledge. Another meaning is that they were seeking help from Allah by the coming of the Last Prophet. Ibn Kathir has narrated this from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). It is not meant here that they were asking by the virtue of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace). That interpretation is incorrect. Firstly, this act is from the Jews. Secondly, in the narration of Suddi the truth is mentioned, but the narration of Suddi is weak. For this reason, it is stated in the book al-Karahiyyah of Hanafi jurisprudence that asking by the virtue of the Prophets or other creations is disliked. A lengthy investigation of this matter is present in the Tafsir Ahsan al-Kalam.
[90] This is the conclusion of the previous two addresses and an admonition for those who deny out of opposition. The phrase “اشْتَرَوْا بِهِ” has two interpretations: one is that “ishtaraw” means selling (i.e., wasting or ruining), and the second is that it means acquiring (snatching) in their own assumption. “بَغْيًا” in its original meaning refers to corruption or seeking, and here it means envy, hatred, or seeking something undeserved. Similar usage appears in verse 213 of this surah, verse 16 of Surah Aal Imran, and verse 14 of Surah Ash-Shura. “مِنْ فَضْلِهِ” refers to prophethood and revelation, which the Jews, out of envy, claimed as their exclusive right, saying that prophethood belongs to the Children of Israel, while Muhammad (May Allah bless him and give him peace) is an Arab and a descendant of Ismail. Or it may refer to general grace—such as knowledge and religious rank of a person. The phrase “فَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ عَلَى غَضَبٍ” means they incurred multiple and repeated wrath, or it refers to two specific wraths: the first due to disbelief and the second due to envy and malice.
Note: When a punishment is mentioned along with a description of humiliation and disgrace, it is meant specifically for disbelievers. Because the punishment of Hell for believers is for purification and discipline, not for disgrace. Therefore, the humiliating punishment is designated here specifically for the disbelievers.