Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:56

فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْ سَلَفًا وَمَثَلًا لِّلْـَٔاخِرِينَ

And We made them a precedent and an example for the later peoples.

Translation: Saheeh International

Tafsir

And We made them a thing past salaf is the plural of sālif similar in pattern to khādim khadam that is to say a precedent as a lesson and an example for others after them that they posterity might take their predicament as a lesson and so not engage in actions similar to theirs.

Excerpt from Tafsir al-Jalalayn, commentary on 43:56, via Quran.com. The reader has the full commentary and 9 more tafsirs.