Explanation of the author's statement and his saying: (And there was a group among them who used to hear the words of Allah, then they would distort them after they had understood them, while they knew [the truth])

The Shaykh : The author says This is in the context of the saying of Allah the Exalted: The interrogative here is for negation. That is, the Jews, or in a broader expression, the People of the Book. So to whom did he attribute it? To the words of Allah.
The student: To Himself.

The Shaykh : To Himself. And speech is an attribute of the Speaker and is not something separate from Him, so it is necessary that the Qur'an be the words of Allah. We ask Allah for safety. That is, they change its meaning, and perhaps they also change its wording, because the People of the Book change the words from their places in both wording and meaning. And his saying: This is more severe in the ugliness of their action, and refuge is sought in Allah, and in their boldness against Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), that they distort the thing after they have understood it and it has reached their understanding, while they know that they are distorting it, because the one who distorts the meaning out of ignorance is less severe than the one who distorts it
The student: Out of knowledge.

The Shaykh : After understanding and knowledge.