When the Hebrews left Egypt, they did so with a military wing that won some good victories all the way to Jericho and then beyond. Is it possible that when Joseph settled his brothers in Egypt he did it not only to help them, as the Bible says, but to allow them to bring their clans in to form a buffer "zone" between Egypt proper and whomever was troubling them at the time in Canaan, be it Assyria, Hittite, whomever? Could they later, after having become to strong, been put to labor in order to keep a scenario from forming, such as the Mexica and the Tapanecs in what is now Mexico...a subordinate mercenary force suddenly overthrowing the kingdom?