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Ramban on Deuteronomy 17:14/רמב"ן על דברים י״ז:י״ד
אוְאָמַרְתָּ אָשִׂימָה עָלַי מֶלֶךְ, עַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ספרי ראה סז, סנהדרין כ א) כְּמוֹ וֶאֱמֹר אָשִׂימָה עָלַי מֶלֶךְ, וְהִיא מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה, שֶׁיְּחַיֵּב אוֹתָנוּ לוֹמַר כֵּן אַחַר יְרֻשָּׁה וִישִׁיבָה, כִּלְשׁוֹן (דברים כב ח) וְעָשִׂיתָ מַעֲקֶה לְגַגֶּךָ וְזוּלָתָם. וְהִזְכִּיר וְאָמַרְתָּ, כִּי מִצְוָה שֶׁיָּבוֹאוּ לִפְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם וְאֶל הַשֹּׁפֵט, וְיֹאמְרוּ לָהֶם רְצוֹנֵנוּ שֶׁנָּשִׂים עָלֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ. וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי עוֹד שֶׁגַּם זֶה מֵרְמִיזוֹתָיו עַל הָעֲתִידוֹת, שֶׁכֵּן הָיָה כְּשֶׁשָּׁאֲלוּ לָהֶם אֶת שָׁאוּל, אָמְרוּ לִשְׁמוּאֵל (שמואל א ח ה): שִׂימָה לָּנוּ מֶלֶךְ לְשָׁפְטֵנוּ כְּכָל הַגּוֹיִם, וְכֵן כָּתוּב שָׁם (שמואל א ח כ): וְהָיִינוּ גַם אֲנַחְנוּ כְּכָל הַגּוֹיִם וּשְׁפָטָנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ וְגוֹ', כִּי מָה טַעַם שֶׁתֹּאמַר הַתּוֹרָה בַּמִּצְוָה כְּכָל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹתָי, וְאֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל רְאוּיִים לִלְמֹד מֵהֶם וְלֹא לְקַנֵּא בְּעוֹשֵׂי עַוְלָה. אֲבָל זֶה רֶמֶז לְעִנְיָן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה, וּלְכָךְ בָּאָה הַפָּרָשָׁה בַּלָּשׁוֹן הַבֵּינוֹנִי, כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי כְּבָר.
1AND THOU SHALT SAY: ‘I WILL SET A KING OVER ME.’ In the opinion of our Rabbis94 [who say that “The Israelites were obliged to fulfill three commandments upon their entry into the Land: to appoint a king etc.”] this verse is like “and thou shalt surely say ‘I will set a king over me.’” This is a positive commandment,95 for He has obligated us to say so after conquering and settling [in the Land]. The expression is similar to and thou shalt make a parapet for thy roof96 [which is also a matter of obligation and not one of choice], and other verses besides these. He mentioned and thou shalt say because it is commanded that the people come before the priests of the tribe of Levi, and to the judge and say to them, “It is our wish that we set a king over us.”It is my further opinion that this is also one of his [Moses’] allusions to future events, for so it happened when the people asked for Saul, saying to Samuel, Now make us a king to judge us like all nations,97 and similarly it is written there, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us etc.98, Verse 20. For what reason is there that the Torah should say in connection with a commandment [‘I will set a king over me] like all the nations that are round about me’ when it is not proper for Israel to learn their ways99. and neither be envious against the workers of evil.100 But this is an allusion to what will be, and therefore the section is written in an intermediate tense [and not in the form of a command] as I have already explained.101