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Ramban on Deuteronomy 9:25/רמב"ן על דברים ט׳:כ״ה
אוָאֶתְנַפַּל לִפְנֵי ה', יֹאמַר כִּי הֻצְרַכְתִּי לְהִתְנַפֵּל עֲלֵיכֶם אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה עַל הַחֵטְא הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה, כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה אָמַר ה' לְהַשְׁמִיד אֶתְכֶם עַד שֶׁאֶתְפַּלֵּל אֶל ה' וָאוֹמַר אַל תַּשְׁחֵת עַמְּךָ וְנַחֲלָתְךָ, כִּי זֹאת הָיְתָה תְּפִלָּתוֹ קֹדֶם רִדְתּוֹ מִן הָהָר, וּמִמֶּנָּה נַעֲנָה בְּוַיִּנָּחֶם ה' עַל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת לְעַמּוֹ (שמות לב יד). וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר תְּפִלַּת הָאַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה כִּי אֲרֻכָּה מֵאֶרֶץ מִדָּהּ וּרְחָבָה מִנִּי יָם. וְטַעַם הַשֵּׁמוֹת הַכְּתוּבִים בְּאָלֶ"ף דָּלֶ"ת יוֹ"ד הֵ"א פֵּרַשְׁתִּיו (רמב"ן על דברים ג':כ"ד):
1AND I FELL DOWN BEFORE THE ETERNAL. He is stating: “I had to cast myself down in prayer for you forty days and forty nights because of this great sin, for at first G-d said to destroy you, until I prayed to G-d and said ‘[O G-d Eternal], destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance.’”153 This was his prayer before he came down from the mountain, and it was because of this prayer that he was answered with And the Eternal 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). He did not mention the prayer of the forty days and forty nights, for the measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.154 I have already explained155. the reason why the Divine Names are written both with Aleph Daleth, and Yod Hei [in Verse 26: O G-d Eternal, destroy not Thy people etc.].