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23 [1] AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID AS THE ETERNAL COMMANDED MOSES. “This includes the leaning of hands, casting from a height, and hanging the dead body, as well as the regulation, *his body shall not remain all night upon the tree*.” [This is the language of the] Torath Kohanim. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that the plain meaning thereof is that from that day onwards they acted in accordance with the law concerning one who wounds [a fellowman or causes him damage, mentioned here above in Verses 17-21]. But it is not a correct [explanation] that this verse be referring to the future. The plain meaning thereof is as follows: “*and they stoned him with stones* because *the children of Israel did* according to the commandment which *the Eternal commanded Moses*.” Such a repetition of expressions is found with respect to all those who keep the commandments of G-d, just as it is said in the section of the Passover, and as He stated in the section of the census, *Thus did the children of Israel; according to all that the Eternal commanded Moses, so did they;* and so also with regards to the rods of the princes: *Thus did Moses; as the Eternal commanded him, so did he*.
The correct interpretation here appears to me to be that since Scripture mentioned first the stoning, it went back afterwards and stated, *and the children of Israel did* etc., for the meaning of Scripture is to declare that when *Moses spoke to the children of Israel they* immediately *brought forth him that had cursed*, and they stoned him; and all the children of Israel did so in order to keep and fulfill [the commandment] *as the Eternal commanded Moses*, but not out of hatred to the son of the Egyptian who had striven with the Israelite, for [they did it] in order to remove the unworthy one from their midst.
Behar
Version: Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976
Source: https://www.nli.org.il/he/books/NNL_ALEPH002108945/NLI
License: CC-BY