Allah said,
وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ
And they were covered with humiliation and misery
This Ayah indicates that the Children of Israil were plagued with humiliation, and that this will continue, meaning that it will never cease. They will continue to suffer humiliation at the hands of all who interact with them, along with the disgrace that they feel inwardly.
Al-Hasan commented, “Allah humiliated them, and they shall have no protector. Allah put them under the feet of the Muslims, who appeared at a time when the Majus (Zoroastrians) were taking the Jizyah (tax) from the Jews.”
Also, Abu Al-`Aliyah, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and As-Suddi said that `misery’ used in the Ayah means, `poverty.’ `Atiyah Al-`Awfi said that `misery’ means, `paying the tilth (tax).’
In addition, Ad-Dahhak commented on Allah’s statement,
وَبَآءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ
and they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah,
“They deserved Allah’s anger.”
Also, Ibn Jarir said that,
وَبَآءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ
and they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah means,
“They went back with the wrath.” Similarly, Allah said,
إِنِّى أُرِيدُ أَن تَبُوءَ بِإِثْمِى وَإِثْمِكَ
Verily, I intend to let you draw my sin on yourself as well as yours (Al-Ma’idah 29)
meaning, `You will end up carrying my, and your, mistakes instead of me’. Thus, the meaning of the Ayat becomes, `They went back carrying Allah’s anger; Allah’s wrath descended on them; they deserved Allah’s anger.”’
Allah’s statement,
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَـتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ
That was because they used to disbelieve in the Ayat (proofs, evidences) of Allah and killed the Prophets wrongfully.
means, “This is what We rewarded the Children of Israil with: humiliation and misery.” Allah’s anger that descended on the Children of Israil was a part of the humiliation they earned, because of their defiance of the truth, disbelief in Allah’s Ayat and belittling the carriers of Allah’s Law (the Prophets and their following). The Children of Israil rejected the Messengers and even killed them. Surely, there is no form of disbelief worse than disbelieving in Allah’s Ayat and murdering the Prophets of Allah.
Meaning of Kibr
Similarly, in a Hadith recorded in the Two Sahihs the Messenger of Allah said,
الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاس
`Kibr, is refusing the truth and degrading (belittling) people.
Imam Ahmad recorded, `Abdullah bin Mas`ud saying that the Messenger of Allah said,
أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ عَذَابًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَهُ نَبِيٌّ أَوْ قَتَلَ نَبِيًّا
وَإِمَامُ ضَلَالَةٍ وَمُمَثِّلٌ مِنَ الْمُمَثِّلِين
The people who will receive the most torment on the Day of Resurrection are: a man who was killed by a Prophet or who killed a Prophet, an unjust ruler and one who mutilates (the dead). Allah’s statement,
ذلِكَ بِمَا عَصَواْ وَّكَانُواْ يَعْتَدُونَ
That was because they disobeyed and used to transgress the bounds
mentions another reason why the Children of Israil were punished in this manner, for they used to disobey and transgress the limits. Disobedience is to do what is prohibited, while transgression entails overstepping the set limits of what is allowed and what is prohibited. Allah knows best.