ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, who said: "A man killed his paternal uncle and threw him between two villages. They offered him the blood money for two, but he refused to accept it. They then came to Moses, and Allah revealed to him that they should slaughter a cow and strike him with part of it. They made it difficult [for themselves], so Allah made it difficult for them. Had they taken any cow [immediately] when they were commanded, that would have sufficed them."
Muhammad said: The meaning of "they took (i'taradu)" is that they took any of them without specific selection.