God reveals Himself to the world on two distinct levels, reflecting the gap between a leader's deep intellectual understanding and the tangible experience of the people. Although the description of this revelation is written in the future tense, commentators agree that God constantly made, and continues to make, His methods known to humanity [רש"י, רד"ק, אבן עזרא]. The primary approach among commentators draws a sharp contrast between how God reveals His leadership to Moses and how He reveals it to the Israelites.
God shared His divine traits and the fundamental principles by which He guides creation directly with Moses. This refers specifically to the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy that God revealed after Moses pleaded to understand His methods [רד"ק, אבן עזרא, מאירי]. Moses achieved a profound comprehension of these traits as internal, permanent principles. He understood that God's mercy does not stem from human-like emotional reactions or shifting moods, but is an absolute, unchanging reality [מלבי"ם].
In contrast, the Israelites experienced God through His actual deeds and physical interventions in history [רד"ק, מצודת ציון]. They witnessed His presence through the great miracles of the Exodus from Egypt, His guidance through the desert, and His ongoing protection during their exile [רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This dual revelation—of deep internal traits to a prophet and awesome historical actions to a nation—is a unique privilege granted exclusively to the people of Israel [מאירי].
Because the Israelites grasped God's leadership through external events rather than philosophical essence, they perceived His traits as actions driven by human emotions, such as compassion or anger. This occurred because the Torah speaks in human language to make the Divine accessible to the human mind [מלבי"ם]. While some commentators view this dual description simply as poetic repetition [מצודת דוד] or as a record of Moses passing his knowledge down to the nation [אבן עזרא], others find a powerful moral instruction in this contrast. According to this view, while Moses was satisfied with a purely intellectual understanding of God's traits, the Israelites are expected to take practical action. God requires them to transform these divine traits into tangible deeds. Just as He is merciful, gracious, patient, and deeply kind, the people must adopt these very characteristics and actively apply them in their daily interactions with one another [אלשיך].