وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحُكْمَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ (16)
(45:16) Indeed We endowed the Children of Israel with the Book and Wisdom *20 and Prophethood, and provided them with good things *21 as sustenance, and exalted them above the peoples of the whole world.
*20) Hukm (judgement) implies three things: (1) Knowledge and understanding of the Book and Religion; (2) wisdom to act according to the intention of the Book; and (3) capability to give right decisions in disputes.
*21) It does not mean that they were given preference over all the people of the world for ever, rather it means: Allah had chosen the children of Israel from among all the contemporary nations of the world for the service that they should hold fast to the Divine Book and should rise as the standard-bearers of God-worship in the world.