Who Were the "Mixed Multitude"?

In Exod 12:38, we read that when the Israelites left Egypt, a mixed multitude עֵרֶב רַב went up with them. Therefore, the question arises: Who were the mixed multitude? Interestingly, the word עֵרב is also attested to at the time of Nehemiah. In Neh 13:3 the term עֵרב is linked to Nehemiah's reforms against intermarriages. In other texts, such as Jer 25:20; 50:37 and Ezek 30:5, the term עֵרב has the meaning "to take on a pledge" or "to give in pledge exchange." In those instances, the term עֵרב appears in the context of war and those slain by the sword; thus, the term refers to mercenaries. A clue to the identity of the mixed multitude can also be found in Exod 13:18, where the text describes the Israelites at the time of the Exodus as חֲמֻשִׁים, a term which can have military implications. The existence of mercenaries in the ancient world is well known. They were part of David's army and accepted as part of the Israelite nation. In this paper, we will show that the term עֵרב רַב in Exod 12:38 refers to mercenaries who intermarried with the Israelites and left armed with them at the time of the Exodus from Egypt.