דברי הימים ב, פרק י״א, פסוק י״ד

The division of the kingdom triggered a profound demographic and spiritual shift across the land. The Levites, who had previously lived in designated cities spread throughout the northern territories, found themselves forced to uproot their lives. They abandoned the lands and estates they owned across the territory of the Ten Tribes and migrated south toward Judah and Jerusalem [רש״י, מצודת דוד].

This mass migration was not a voluntary relocation but a direct result of being actively pushed away and rejected by the new northern leadership [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that Jeroboam and his sons barred the Levites from their holy duties, preventing them from serving God and strictly forbidding them from traveling to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Beyond this spiritual suppression, a severe economic reality drove their departure. Jeroboam established alternative places of worship and appointed new priests from the general population, completely bypassing the tribe of Levi. Consequently, the rightful priests and Levites were deprived of the priestly gifts due to them by law, leaving them without any means to support themselves. Facing both spiritual and economic ruin, the Levites had no choice but to leave their northern lands and seek refuge in the Kingdom of Judah, where they could freely resume their service to God and receive their rightful support [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ].