Deuteronomy 9:18

18 And I made my petition before the Lord as also at the first forty days and forty nights: I ate no bread and drank no water, on account of all your sins which ye sinned in doing evil before the Lord God to provoke him.

Deuteronomy 9:18 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 9:18

And I fell down before the Lord
In prayer for Israel who had sinned; but this he did not immediately after he had broken the tables, but when he had first ground the calf to powder, strewed it on the water, and made the children of Israel drink it; and when he had chided Aaron, and ordered the sons of Levi to slay every man his brother:

as at the first forty days and forty mights;
which is to be connected, I think, not with what goes before; for we read not that he fell down before the Lord, at the first time he was with him so long in the mount; but with what follows: "I did neither eat bread nor drink water"; as he neither ate nor drank the first forty days, so neither did he these second forty; see ( Deuteronomy 9:9 )

because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the
sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger;
for they were guilty of more sins than one; besides idolatry, they were guilty of unbelief, ingratitude which were notorious and flagrant, were done openly and publicly, in sight of his glory and majesty on the mount; all which must be very provoking to him, and on account of these Moses prayed and fasted.

Deuteronomy 9:18 In-Context

16 And when I saw that ye had sinned against the Lord your God, and had made to yourselves a molten image, and had gone astray out of the way, which the Lord commanded you to keep;

17 then I took hold of the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and broke them before you.

18 And I made my petition before the Lord as also at the first forty days and forty nights: I ate no bread and drank no water, on account of all your sins which ye sinned in doing evil before the Lord God to provoke him.

19 And I was greatly terrified because of the wrath and anger, because the Lord was provoked with you utterly to destroy you; yet the Lord hearkened to me at this time also.

20 And he was angry with Aaron to destroy him utterly, and I prayed for Aaron also at that time.