When we read the Holy Quran, we see Allah -azwj has Praised Bani Israel [3] as well as has also Reprimanded them, as both believers and unbelievers were present in both places (of Praise and Reprimand). Allah -azwj Praised the Bani Israel nation while intending for the believers among them and rebuked the unbelievers/hypocrites of the Bani Israel when they demonstrated their acts of disobedience, e.g., the worshiping of the calf.
Allah -azwj Bestowed many Favour onto Bani Israel , e.g., وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحُكْمَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ وَرَزَقْنَاهُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ {1645:} And We had Given to the Children of Israel, the Book, and the Wisdom, and the Prophet-hood, and Sustained them from the goodly things, and Merited them over the worlds [45:16] Indeed, in the above Verse, Allah -azwj Prefers the Nation of Prophet Musa -as and merited them over the worlds but this Message was neither forever nor had included every single person of the nation as being at the elevated level, as for sure, there were hypocrites among the devout believers within the nation of Musa -as .
So, soon after they were tried, subsequent to many favour and after crossing of the Nile, a large number of them started worshiping a golden ‘calf’ when Prophet Musa -as momentarily attended the Call of Allah -azwj at a nearly mountain.
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَقُولُوا لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِنْكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ {832:} And when We Took a Covenant with the Children of Israel: “You will not be worshipping but Allah, and the kindness with the parents, and the ones with relationship, and the orphans, and the poor, and you would be saying to the people good words, and will be establishing the Salat, and be giving the Zakat.
And yet, except for a few of you, you turned away: for you are obstinate folk! ” [2:83] Some additional Verses, along the same theme, i.e., Praise and Reprimand for the Believers and unbelievers, respectively, are given in Appendix I.