Surah Al-A'raf 7:164

وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ۙ ٱللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۖ قَالُوا۟ مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

And when a community among them said, "Why do you advise [or warn] a people whom Allāh is [about] to destroy or to punish with a severe punishment?" they [the advisors] said, "To be absolved before your Lord and perhaps they may fear Him."

Translation: Saheeh International

Tafsir

And when wa-idh is a supplement to the preceding idh ‘how’ a community among them who neither fished nor prohibited it said to those who prohibited it ‘Why do you preach admonition to a folk whom God is about to destroy or chastise with a severe chastisement?’ They said our admonishing them is ‘As an exculpation by …

Excerpt from Tafsir al-Jalalayn, commentary on 7:164, via Quran.com. The reader has the full commentary and 9 more tafsirs.