Commentaire sur Le Deutéronome 1:43

ותמדו את פי השם, "you rebelled against G'd's command, etc." Moses referred to the refusal of the Israelites to heed G'd's order not to ascend the mountain. Another element he referred to was that the fear of violating G'd's command should have been greater than the fear of their enemies. The fact that it was not demonstrated the true nature of their wickedness. This is why Moses added: ותזדו, "you sinned deliberately." Furthermore, Moses wanted to make the point that the belated display by the Israelites of faith in G'd's protective powers and their willingness to face the Canaanites was not what it appeared to be at the surface. They once more acted in a rebellious fashion, not because they were throwing themselves on G'd's mercy. They should have humbled themselves; instead they did the very reverse.