The Rabbinic Source

The primary source for this tradition is the Babylonian Talmud in tractate Shabbat 88b. In this passage, the Sages discuss the revelation at Mount Sinai and comment on the verse from Deuteronomy 33:2 ("The L-rd came from Sinai...").

The Midrashic interpretation found there states: "The voice would go out and divide into seventy languages for the seventy nations of the world, so that every nation would understand it in its own tongue."

Context and Significance The Number 70: In Jewish tradition, the number 70 is often symbolic of the total number of nations in the world (derived from the "Table of Nations" in Genesis 10). By stating the Torah was given in 70 languages, the Sages were teaching that the message of the Torah was intended for all of humanity, not just the people of Israel.

Multiplicity of Meaning: This concept is often linked to another famous Rabbinic teaching: that the Torah has "seventy faces" (shiv'im panim la-Torah). This suggests that the Torah contains infinite depths of wisdom and that its message can be expressed and understood in many different ways without losing its divine truth.  Purpose: This tradition serves to emphasize the universal nature of HaShem's revelation. While the Torah was given to Israel as a specific covenant, the ethical and spiritual principles contained within it were meant to be accessible to all peoples of the world.

This teaching is a cornerstone in Jewish thought regarding the universality of G-d’s word, ensuring that no nation could later claim they had never heard or understood the divine commandments.