"And it was, on the third day, when it was morning" (Exodus 19:16) — the day the Torah would be given at Sinai. The Mekhilta draws a remarkable inference from this verse: God "arose" before the Israelites did. The Creator of the universe was ready and waiting for His people before they had even woken up.
To illustrate this, the Mekhilta cites a verse from (Song of Songs 1:12): "While the King was on His couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance." The "King" is God. The "couch" represents His heavenly throne. And the "nard" — the fragrant perfume — represents Israel, whose merit and readiness rose up to God even as they slept. God was already present, already prepared, already reclining as a host awaits honored guests, before Israel opened their eyes on the morning of revelation.
This image overturns the expected hierarchy of the scene. One might assume that the people would rise early, purify themselves, assemble at the mountain's base, and then wait for God to descend. Instead, God was there first. The King arrived before His subjects. The Teacher was ready before His students. The Giver of the Torah anticipated the receivers.
The Mekhilta then notes the "thunderings" mentioned in the verse — and specifies that these were not ordinary thunder. Each clap was different from the others. The sounds at Sinai were not repetitive natural phenomena. They were distinct, varied, and purposeful — each thundering unique, as if the heavens themselves were speaking in a language that defied simple description. The morning of revelation was unlike any morning before or since.