דברים, פרק ג׳, פסוק ה׳

The conquest of the territory east of the Jordan River required the Israelites to overcome a diverse landscape of settlements, ranging from massive strongholds to wide-open villages. The large urban centers were incredibly formidable, completely surrounded by towering walls, heavy doors, and secure bars [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The sheer strength of these captured defenses raises an interesting historical question. If the Israelites took control of such heavily fortified cities, why did the tribes of Reuben and Gad later need to build entirely new fortified cities to protect their wives and children, as recorded in the Book of Numbers? [ברכת אשר על התורה].

Alongside these massive fortresses, the Israelites also captured many smaller, unwalled settlements. The primary approach among commentators is that these were open towns completely lacking defensive walls or fortress structures. This concept of open, peaceful dwelling is echoed in the later prophecy of Zechariah, which envisions a future Jerusalem sitting securely as an open city that requires no protective wall at all [רש״י, רבנו בחיי, ביאור יש״ר, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The very nature of these unwalled towns is rooted in a concept of wide expansion and openness. The linguistic root used to describe these settlements implies a space that is easy to enter, break into, or spread out across. Unlike a dense urban center where houses are built tightly connected and bound to one another, these open towns were characterized by a scattered layout, with homes spread far apart across the rural landscape [רש"ר הירש].