What is the meaning of "cords" (asbāb) in this āyah?

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

1. It refers to bonds of affection. [Ibn ʿAbbās, Mujāhid, and Qatādah].
2. It refers to actions [Al-Suddī from Ibn Masʿūd and Ibn ʿAbbās, and is also the opinion of Abū Ṣāliḥ and Ibn Zayd].
3. It refers to familial ties [Ibn Jurayj from Ibn ʿAbbās].
4. It encompasses all of these interpretations. Ibn Qutaybah states, "It refers to the connections by which they maintained relations in the world."

'Sabab' in Arabic originally means 'rope,' and came to denote anything used to reach an objective.