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Ramban on Deuteronomy 10:10/רמב"ן על דברים י׳:י׳

אוְאָנֹכִי עָמַדְתִּי בָּהָר, עַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (סדר עולם ו) יֹאמַר שֶׁעָמַד בָּהָר כְּשֶׁעָלָה שָׁם וּשְׁנֵי הַלּוּחוֹת בְּיָדוֹ כַּיָּמִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים שֶׁל לוּחוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה, וַיִּשְׁמַע ה' אֵלַי גַּם בַּפַּעַם הַשְּׁלִישִׁית, כִּי עָבַר ה' עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא ה' ה' אֵל רַחוּם וְגוֹ' (שמות לד ו), וּבִקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ (שם שם ט) וְסָלַחְתָּ לַעֲוֹנֵנוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵנוּ וּנְחַלְתָּנוּ, וְנַעֲנָה וְאָמַר קוּם לֵךְ לְמַסַּע לִפְנֵי הָעָם וְיָבֹאוּ וְיִרְשׁוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ. וְזֶהוּ וְרָאָה כָל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בְקִרְבּוֹ אֶת מַעֲשֵׂה ה' כִּי נוֹרָא הוּא אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה עִמָּךְ (שם שם י):

1AND I STAYED IN THE MOUNT. In the opinion of our Rabbis²³⁶ 31. Moses is stating that he remained on the mountain when he ascended there with the [second] two Tablets in his hand, according to the first days of the first Tablets, forty days and forty nights, and the Eternal hearkened unto me that third time also²³⁷ etc. (see text). See also, Vol. II, pp. 574-577 on the three ascents. [as] when the Eternal passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The Eternal, the Eternal, G-d, merciful, etc.,’²³⁸ and Moses requested of G-d, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance,²³⁹, Verse 9. and He submitted and said [in Verse 11], Arise, go before the people, causing them to set forward, that they may go in and possess the Land. It is this which is stated, and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Eternal that I am about to do with thee, that it is tremendous.²⁴⁰

בוְטַעַם לֹא אָבָה ה' הַשְׁחִיתֶךָ, שֶׁלֹּא רָצָה שֶׁלֹּא תָּבֹאוּ וְתִירְשׁוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ, כְּטַעַם וְיָסַף עוֹד לְהַנִּיחוֹ בַּמִּדְבָּר וְשִׁחַתֶּם לְכָל הָעָם הַזֶּה (במדבר לב טו). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת לֹא רָצָה שֶׁתִּהְיֶה מָשְׁחָת מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל עִמְּךָ. וּכְבָר רָמַזְתִּי זֶה הָעִנְיָן בְּסֵדֶר כִּי תִשָּׂא:

2THE ETERNAL WOULD NOT ‘DESTROY’ THEE. The meaning thereof is that He did not want to prevent you from entering and possessing the Land, similar in meaning to the verse, He will yet again leave them in the wilderness, and so ye will ‘destroy’ all this people.²⁴¹ — i.e., by causing them not to enter the Land, which is synonymous with their “destruction.” And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], he is stating that He [the Eternal] did not want the destruction to be from Him, so that His Great Name no [longer] be with you. I have already alluded to this subject in the section of Ki Thisa.²⁴²