יהושע, פרק י״ג, פסוק ל״ג

The division of the land among the tribes of Israel places the tribe of Levi in a unique position. While the other tribes receive defined territories, the Levites remain without a land inheritance of their own, gaining instead a direct and unmediated connection with God. The reminder of their landless status appears immediately after the detailed allocation of territories to the two and a half tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan River [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This repetition clarifies a concept established earlier, revealing that the denial of their land involves two distinct aspects. The first aspect is their complete exclusion from the general land lottery. Rather than receiving a specific geographic region, their livelihood is based entirely on the sacred gifts given to the priests and Levites. Practically, the concept of God being their inheritance means that the remnants of the fire offerings dedicated to Him serve as their alternative portion [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].

The second aspect introduces an additional detail regarding the specific cities designated for the Levites. Although they ultimately received cities and surrounding open spaces to settle with their families, these areas were not assigned to them directly during the initial division of the land. Moses did not set aside these cities during his lifetime from the eastern territories. Instead, the allocation of the Levitical cities occurred only after the entire land had been fully divided among all the other tribes. At that point, the cities were given as a holy contribution, with each tribe required to dedicate a portion of its own territory for God [מלבי״ם]. This arrangement, where the Levites rely entirely on divine provision rather than independent land ownership, fulfills the original promise that God Himself would be their portion and inheritance among the Israelites [ביאור שטיינזלץ].