The nation heard the entire Decalogue from Hashem. This position subdivides regarding whether Hashem was directing his words at the people or at Moshe.
Hashem spoke to the people themselves; they, not Moshe, were his target audience.
Moshe's role? According to these sources, Moshe did not play any significant role during Revelation. He, like the rest of the nation, simply listened to Hashem. According to Abarbanel, even physically Moshe was positioned amongst the people and not set aside higher up on the mountain.
1 "פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" – These commentators understand the phrase "פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" to refer to a direct, unmediated encounter. R. Levi in the Tanchuma describes the experience as one in which each member of the nation felt as if Hashem was speaking to him personally.
"אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין ה' וּבֵינֵיכֶם" – According to most of these commentators, these words refer to the mediating role that Moshe assumed after receiving the Decalogue, when giving over the rest of the commandments.
2 "וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה" – Ibn Ezra supports the idea that Hashem relayed all the commandments directly from the text's usage of the words "
כָּל הַדְּבָרִים".
3 "בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמַע הָעָם בְּדַבְּרִי עִמָּךְ" - Spoke to all – According to Ibn Ezra, this verse does not insinuate that Hashem was to speak to Moshe alone, but only that when Hashem did speak to him (along with everyone else), his prophetic stature would be verified. The nation had doubted Moshe's prophecy, believing that if Hashem speaks to a person he cannot live afterwards. Thus, Hashem tells Moshe that when the nation sees Him speaking to Moshe during the giving of the Decalogue, they will finally recognize that this is not true.
- Change of plan - According to Ralbag and Abarbanel, originally, Hashem told Moshe that he would speak to him alone and the nation would overhear, leading them to believe in Moshe's prophecy. Moshe then clarified to Hashem that the nation preferred not to have a mediator but desired a direct face to face revelation, which Hashem then acquiesced to.4
"דַּבֵּר אַתָּה עִמָּנוּ וְנִשְׁמָעָה" – According to these sources, this scene is found in its chronological place and only occurred after Hashem finished relaying the entire Decalogue.
5 According to Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, and Ralbag, were it not for this fear, Hashem would have relayed all 613 commandments to the people directly.
6 "כִּי יְרֵאתֶם מִפְּנֵי הָאֵשׁ וְלֹא עֲלִיתֶם בָּהָר" - According to Ibn Ezra, Moshe is saying that the nation feared from the fire, despite the fact that they did not go up the mountain.
- This position could have instead said, as R. D"Z Hoffmann suggests,7 that the original plan (had the nation not been overcome by fear) was to ascend the mountain after the giving of the Decalogue and to hear the rest of the 613 commandments from perhaps an even closer vantage point and at a higher spiritual level.8
"מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל" - Before the Decalogue – According to Ibn Ezra and Abarbanel9 this refers to the conversation between Moshe and Hashem before the giving of the Decalogue and, as such, provides no information regarding how Hashem delivered the commandments.10
- Before and during – Ralbag maintains that the verse refers to Hashem's words both before and during the Decalogue.11 Hashem conversed with Moshe prophetically, but at the same time, He had the message emerge out loud (via a concrete voice rather than a mental transmission) to the nation.
- During the Decalogue – R. Eliezer suggests that that the verse is simply saying that before Hashem spoke to the nation, He waited for Moshe to tell Him that they were ready.
Grammatical Alternations – Ibn Ezra argues that it is a normal for the text to switch between first and third person; in other places too, such as Shemot 23:18-19, Hashem alternates between speaking of Himself in first and third persons.
12 Ibn Eza also explains the specific location of the switch, pointing out that after the nation accepted Hashem as their god in the first two commandments, He could then refer to Himself as the Israelites' God in third person.
Purpose of Sinaitic revelation – This position highlights the goal of teaching the nation to believe in Hashem. As Moshe says in Sefer Devarim, after hearing Hashem directly, "אַתָּה הָרְאֵתָ לָדַעַת כִּי ה' הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים".
13 Prophecy for the Masses – This approach assumes that anyone can prophesy, even without extended preparation. Nonetheless, most of these commentators do limit the level of prophecy of the people. Thus, R. Yose b. R. Chanina in the Tanchuma says that each person grasped Hashem's word according to his own capabilities, while Ralbag and Abarbanel emphasizes how the nation could only experience Revelation via their physical senses, hearing a concrete (rather than mental) voice.
14 Hashem's speech was really directed at Moshe, but Hashem ensured that the nation overheard the conversation.
Moshe's role? R. Saadia and R. Maimon do not suggest that Moshe played an intermediary role in the sense of explaining or relaying commandments in Hashem's stead, but do assert that the positioning of the conversation set him up as "go-between" of sorts and highlighted his elevated status. R. Saadia also adds that after each of Hashem's statements, Moshe repeated it to the people.
15 "פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" – This phrase is somewhat difficult for this approach, since one would not normally refer to overheard speech as a face to face encounter. The commentators might suggest that Moshe is simply saying that, despite the positioning, the nation understood Hashem's words clearly, as if the statements were said to them face to face.
"אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין ה' וּבֵינֵיכֶם" – R. Saadia and R. Maimon suggest that the phrase refers to Moshe's role during revelation itself. According to R. Saadia, Moshe literally stood between the nation and Hashem to repeat to them Hashem's words.
16 "וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה" – R. Maimon suggests that there is no stated audience in this sentence since the audience was all who were present, Moshe, Aharon and the nation as a whole. Hashem spoke to all (despite directing his words at Moshe). This position might also point to the word "" as evidence that
all ten were said by Hashem.
17 "בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמַע הָעָם בְּדַבְּרִי עִמָּךְ" – According to R. Saadia and R. Maimon the verse is understood according to its simple meaning. Hashem did in fact direct his speech to Moshe and was only overheard by the rest of the people. Such a method had the benefit of instilling belief in Moshe.
"דַּבֵּר אַתָּה עִמָּנוּ וְנִשְׁמָעָה" – As above, according to this approach, this scene is found in its chronological place and only occurred after Hashem finished relaying the entire Decalogue.
"מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל" – R. Saadia connects this verse to the above "בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמַע הָעָם בְּדַבְּרִי עִמָּךְ", suggesting that he thinks that it, too, refers to Hashem's speech during the Decalogue. It simply tells the reader that, to be heard over the shofar, both Moshe and Hashem spoke in loud voices.
18 Grammatical alternations – This position would agree with Ibn Ezra above that the switch is an example of legitimate, normal variation in Tanakh and holds no extra significance.
Purpose of Sinaitic revelation
Prophecy for the masses – This approach assumes that all can prophecy if Hashem so desires, even without lengthy preparation. R. Maimon, though, does qualify that each person understood Hashem's words differently, according to their own abilities and level.