( وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِي آتَيْنَاهُ آيَاتِنَا فَانسَلَخَ مِنْهَا ) (And recite to them, [O Muhammad], the news of him to whom we gave [knowledge of] Our signs, but he detached himself from them): Allah (swt) addresses the Prophet Muhammad (saws) and tells him to inform the Jews and recite to them the story of the man to whom Allah (swt) gave His (swt) signs. This man is surely mentioned in their Torah; he is Bal’am bin Ba’ura’, as stated in the interpretation books and agreed upon by scholars. He was one of the great scholars among the Children of Israel. Whenever Bal’am supplicated to Allah (swt), He (swt) answered him, to the extent that even Prophet Moses (PBUH) used to come to him. Allah (swt) granted him miracles, signs, and extensive knowledge (but he detached himself from them). The use of the word (detached) indicates that the message surrounded him powerfully, meaning that he possessed numerous signs granted to him by Allah (swt) in terms of knowledge and revelations.

( فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ ) (so Satan pursued him): Indeed, when Satan finds a knowledgeable person who has received many divine gifts but at the same time gradually distances himself from what Allah (swt) has bestowed upon him, Satan runs behind and pursues him. It seems that these are the steps of the misguided and misleading Satan in his relationship with such an individual.

( فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ) (and he became of the deviators): (The deviator) means the one deeply immersed in misguidance, who leads himself and others astray.