What is the meaning of the word "وعلم" (wa-'alima) in Surat Al-Anfal, Ayah 66?

The "knowledge" in the verse refers to ma'rifah (cognizance). Allah's knowledge pertains to things before their existence and after. He knows everything before its creation. Ibn al-Arabi said: "The relation of knowledge to the present moment means that the Creator knows a thing before it comes into being. He is the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and His eternal knowledge does not differ or change with the changing states of the known things."