20:87
They said: “We broke not the promise to thee, as far as lay in our power: but we were made to carry the weight of the ornaments of the (whole) people, and we threw them (into the fire),and that was what the Samiri suggested.
The term al-Sāmirī is an adjectival designation indicating a person’s origin or lineage. According to a report attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Sāmirī was among the Egyptians who accompanied the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. Some scholars suggest that the term may be derived from the word shemer, which in the Coptic language signifies a “foreigner.” The related term sumrat refers to a complexion that lies between fair and dark. In exegetical interpretations, the golden calf associated with al-Sāmirī is often understood symbolically as representing the worldly allure and material attraction of earthly life (cf. Qurʾān 20:131) (Ibn ʿAbbās, as cited in the original text).
References:
NOORUDDÎN ,ALLÂMAH. (2015). Exegesis of The Holy Qur’ân Commentary and Reflections.