יהושע, פרק י״ט, פסוק נ״א

The monumental task of dividing the land into distinct inheritances reaches its definitive conclusion. This foundational distribution is carried out strictly according to the will of God, utilizing a lottery system [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that the leaders of the nation do not merely receive their own territories during this time. Instead, they act as the active agents who personally allocate and secure the various regions for the Israelites.

The individuals entrusted with this massive undertaking are the designated leaders of the ancestral houses within each tribe [מצודת דוד, רד"ק]. A profound legal principle is derived from the unique way these leaders are viewed as both heads of the nation and paternal figures. Just as fathers possess the natural right to pass down their personal wealth to their children however they choose, the national leaders and the high court hold a comparable authority over the nation's property. They are fully empowered to assign and distribute wealth and land to the people as they deem appropriate [רד"ק].

The entire distribution is firmly anchored by the lottery, ensuring that the allocation of territories is recognized as a direct result of this divine method [מצודת דוד]. With these tribal assignments securely in place, the long and complex process of dividing the land comes to an absolute and permanent end [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].