Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 9:19/רמב"ן על דברים ט׳:י״ט

אכִּי יָגֹרְתִּי מִפְּנֵי הָאַף, יֹאמַר כִּי מִפְּנֵי הָאַף וְהַחֵמָה אֲשֶׁר קָצַף הַשֵּׁם מִתְּחִלָּה עֲלֵיכֶם לְהַשְׁמִיד אֶתְכֶם יָגֹרְתִּי גַּם עַתָּה, כִּי עֲדַיִן יֵשׁ עֲלֵיכֶם לְהַשְׁמִיד אֶתְכֶם מִן הַקֶּצֶף הַגָּדוֹל הַהוּא, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכְּבָר נִחַם הַשֵּׁם עַל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת לְעַמּוֹ. עַל כֵּן חָזַרְתִּי וְהִתְנַפַּלְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה, עַד שֶׁשָּׁמַע אֵלַי גַּם בַּפַּעַם הַהִיא כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע בַּפַּעַם הָרִאשׁוֹנָה קֹדֶם שֶׁיָּרַדְתִּי. וְגַם בְּעַד אַהֲרֹן הִתְפַּלַּלְתִּי בַּפַּעַם הַזֹּאת שֶׁחָזַרְתִּי שָׁם, כִּי עַד שֶׁיְּבַעֵר אֶת הָעֵגֶל לֹא הִשְׁגִּיחַ רַק לְהָשִׁיב חֲמָתוֹ מֵהַשְׁחִית אֶת הָעָם כְּרֶגַע:

1FOR I WAS IN DREAD OF THE ANGER. He is stating that because of the anger and the fury wherewith the Eternal was angry with you at first [that He wanted] to destroy you, I stood in awe even now, for there was still [enough] of that great anger upon you to destroy you, even though G-d had already repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people.¹³⁴, Verse 14. The word “repented” here is an anthropomorphism (Ibn Ezra). Therefore I returned and threw myself down [in prayer] in your behalf for forty days and forty nights until He hearkened unto me that time also¹⁴¹ just as He hearkened the first time before I descended [from the mountain]. For Aaron, also, I prayed at that time when I returned there [to the mountain] because, until he had cleansed [the camp of] the calf, [Moses’ main] concern was but to turn back His wrath, lest He should destroy¹⁴² the [whole] people in a moment, [and hence he did not pray especially for Aaron until he returned to the mountain].