A common misinterpretation views this verse as the Israelites immediately conquering or settling Moab peacefully, overlooking the tension as foreigners encamped on Moabite land provoked Balak's alarm; others confuse the location, mistakenly placing them already west of the Jordan in Canaan proper rather than on the eastern plains opposite Jericho, which diminishes the significance of their final preparatory stage before Joshua's leadership and the river crossing.
Numbers 22:1
King James Version (1769)
1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.
Numbers 22:1 describes the Israelites' arrival and encampment in the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River near Jericho, after decades of wilderness wandering, positioning them on the threshold of the Promised Land and setting the geographical and narrative stage for Balak's fear and the summoning of Balaam to curse them, highlighting God's protection over His people as they prepare to cross into Canaan.