© Charles Chandler

 

Deuteronomy 3

 

18 "And I commanded you at that time, saying, 'The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall cross over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel. 19 Only your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall remain in the cities that I have given you, 20 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also occupy the land that the Lord your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.'

This makes more sense if the audience was actually not the people of Israel. Rather, Ramose was addressing Hebrews on the East Bank, while the Israelites were on the West Bank, and the two groups of people had yet to merge.