"And their prophet said to them, 'Indeed, Allah has sent to you Saul as a king.'" Saul was from a tribe that had committed a great sin, so kingship was stripped from them at that time, and they rejected him. "And they said, 'How can he have dominion over us,'" while he is from the tribe of the sin, meaning: the sin which they had committed, "'while we are more worthy of dominion than him and he has not been given any abundance of wealth? He said, 'Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you,'" He has selected him for you, "'and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique.'" Saul was the most knowledgeable among them on that day, and the tallest of them.
Muhammad said: The statement "abundance" (bastah) means: extensiveness; from your saying: I spread out (basttu) a thing; meaning: when you lay it out and expand it.
﴿وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ لَكُمْ طَالُوتَ مَلِكًا﴾ وَكَانَ طالوت من سبط قد عمِلُوا ذَنبا عَظِيما، فَنُزِعَ مِنْهُم الْملك فِي ذَلِكَ الزَّمَان فأنكروه ﴿وَقَالُوا أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ عَلَيْنَا﴾ وَهُوَ من سبط الْإِثْم، يعنون: الذَّنب الَّذِي كَانُوا أَصَابُوا ﴿وَنَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِالْمُلْكِ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ سَعَةً مِنَ الْمَالِ قَالَ إِنَّ الله اصطفاه عَلَيْكُم﴾ اخْتَارَهُ لكم ﴿وَزَادَهُ بَسْطَةً فِي الْعلم والجسم﴾ وَكَانَ طالوت أعلمهم يَوْمئِذٍ وأطولهم.
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: قَوْله ﴿بسطة﴾ أَي: سَعَة؛ من قَوْلك: بسطت الشَّيْء؛ إِذا فرشته ووسعته.
