If thou couldst but see when they will quake with terror; but then there will be no escape (for them), and they will be seized from a position (quite) near.

And they will say, "We do believe (now) in the (Truth)"; but how could they receive (Faith) from a position (so far off,-

Seeing that they did reject Faith (entirely) before, and that they (continually) cast (slanders) on the unseen from a position far off?

And between them and their desires, is placed a barrier, as was done in the past with their partisans: for they were indeed in suspicious (disquieting) doubt.