Theory: Bnei Yisrael knew what to do with their weapons

 Crazy theory time: Bnei Yisrael knew what to do with their weapons.

In Shemot 13:18 it says:

"Now the Israelites went up armed..."

If we follow the plainer interpretation of the word 'chamushim', then it will mean 'armed' as used in this translation, rather than 'one-fifth of the Israelites left Egypt'. So, Bnei Yisrael left Egypt armed. Usually people hear this and think: Oh, so a bunch of slaves who knew nothing about fighting took weapons with them. Well, good luck with that.

Here's where my theory comes in: Actually, at least some of them knew how to use these weapons. The evidence is as follows:

  1. Bnei Yisrael had lived in Goshen, on the Egyptian-Sinai border. It is doubtful that the Egyptians, who didn't mind killing them left-and-right, would have taken the time and resources to defend this slave-province from raiders. So more likely, the Israelites set up their own guard system.
  2. We find that shortly after the Exodus, the Israelites face the Amalekites in Refidim, and the little we learn about the battle seems to suggest that the Israelites knew what they were doing.

As it says: "Moses said to Joshua, “Pick some men for us, and go out and do battle with Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand.” Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Then, whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed...And Joshua overwhelmed the people of Amalek with the sword." (Shemot 17:9-13)

Moshe tells Yehoshua to actually prepare an army and physically, actively, go out and fight. I would have thought that if the Israelites were fighting-know-nothings just a few weeks after they left Egypt, it would be pointless to send them out to fight. That Yehoshua actually seems to know who to pick and how to strike Amalek seems to hint that back in Egypt, he was part of some form of military corps or militia. 

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