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Ramban on Exodus 19:19/רמב"ן על שמות י״ט:י״ט

אמֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל אָמְרוּ בַּמְּכִילְתָּא (כאן) שֶׁזֶּה עַל שְׁעַת מַתַּן תּוֹרָה, שֶׁהָיָה מֹשֶׁה מַשְׁמִיעַ הַדִּבְּרוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות י"ט:י"ט). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט לֹא יְדַבֵּר בָּזֶה עֲדַיִן, אֲבָל יָרַד הַשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד אֶל הָהָר בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי, וְהוֹצִיא מֹשֶׁה אֶת הָעָם מִן הַמַּחֲנֶה לִקְרַאת הַכָּבוֹד הַנִּרְאֶה לָהֶם, וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ הֵם בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר, וּמֹשֶׁה עָלָה לְמַעְלָה קָרוֹב לְרֹאשׁ הָהָר שֶׁשָּׁם הַכָּבוֹד מְחִצָּה לְעַצְמוֹ וּמְדַבֵּר עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהוֹרוֹתָם מַה יַעֲשׂוּ, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל שׁוֹמְעִים קוֹל הָאֱלֹהִים שֶׁעוֹנֶה אוֹתוֹ וִיצַוֶּנּוּ, וְהֵם לֹא יָבִינוּ מַה יֹאמַר לוֹ, וִיצַוֶּה אוֹתוֹ בַּצַּוָּאוֹת הָאֲמוּרוֹת אח"כ בַּפָּרָשָׁה רֵד הָעֵד בָּעָם וְגוֹ', לֶךְ רֵד וְעָלִיתָ אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן עִמָּךְ וְגוֹ', וְהָיָה זֶה קֹדֶם מַתַּן תּוֹרָה וְגַם בִּשְׁעַת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, כִּי מֹשֶׁה לֹא עָלָה אֶל רֹאשׁ הָהָר אֶל הָעֲרָפֶל אֲשֶׁר שָׁם הָאֱלֹהִים רַק לְאַחַר מַתַּן תּוֹרָה, וְכֵן אָמַר (דברים ה ה) "אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין ה' וּבֵינֵיכֶם בָּעֵת הַהִיא לְהַגִּיד לָכֶם אֶת דְּבַר ה' כִּי יְרֵאתֶם מִפְּנֵי הָאֵשׁ וְלֹא עֲלִיתֶם בָּהָר לֵאמֹר", כַּאֲשֶׁר עָלִיתִי אֲנִי. וְיֵשׁ מְפָרְשִׁים כִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל יְרֵאִים מְאֹד מִקּוֹל הַשּׁוֹפָר שֶׁהוֹלֵךְ וְחָזֵק מְאֹד (שמות י"ט:י"ט), וּמֹשֶׁה הָיָה אוֹמֵר תְּחִלָּה כַּוְּנוּ דַּעְתְּכֶם כִּי עַתָּה תִּשְׁמְעוּ קוֹל בְּעִנְיָן כָּךְ, וּמִיָּד הָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְּאוֹתוֹ קוֹל:

1MOSES SPOKE, AND G-D ANSWERED HIM BY A VOICE. In the Mechilta, the Rabbis have said²¹⁹ that this verse refers to the time of the Giving of the Torah, when Moses was proclaiming the commandments to Israel, as Rashi has written.By way of the plain meaning of Scripture, the verse here does not yet speak of this. It is rather [to be explained as follows]: The Glorious Name²²⁰ came down upon the mountain²²¹ on the third day, and Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet the Glory which appeared to them, and they stood at the nether part of the mount.²²² Moses went up near to the head of the mountain, where the Glory was, in a place designated for himself, and he spoke with Israel, teaching them what to do. The Israelites heard the Voice of G-d answering Moses and commanding him, but they did not understand what He said to him. Thus He commanded Moses the precepts mentioned further on in this section: Go down, charge the people;²²³ Go, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee, etc.²²⁴ This happened before the Giving of the Torah and also during the time when the Ten Commandments were given, for Moses did not go up to the top of the mount unto the thick darkness where G-d was²²⁵ until after the Giving of the Torah. And so he said, “I stood between the Eternal and you at that time, to declare unto you the word of the Eternal; for you were afraid because of the fire, and went not up into the mount, saying²²⁶ [that you will not ascend] as I did go up.” Some scholars²²⁷ explain that the Israelites were very much afraid of the voice of the horn which waxed louder and louder,²²⁸ and Moses would say to them at first: “Direct your thoughts, for now you will hear the Voice in such a manner,” and immediately G-d answered him by a voice.