יהושע, פרק כ״א, פסוק א׳

Once the land of Israel was fully divided among the tribes, the time arrived for the tribe of Levi to claim their dwelling places. The heads of the Levite families approached the national leadership and the heads of the other tribes, requesting cities to live in and open spaces for their livestock. This request ultimately resulted in the allocation of forty-eight cities to the Levites, comprising six cities of refuge and forty-two additional cities [אברבנאל].

The timing of this allocation was highly intentional. By waiting until the entire land was already distributed, it ensured that each tribe contributed cities from its own clearly defined territory. However, the Levites did not receive absolute ownership over these locations. The surrounding fields and agricultural lands remained the property of the tribe that provided the city. The Levites were granted only the right of residence and a secure place for their property and flocks. In fact, these cities likely continued to be known by the names of the tribes that originally owned them.

This limited ownership had practical implications, particularly regarding burial practices. The Levites generally did not bury their dead within these cities. For instance, Joseph's bones were buried in Shechem; even though Shechem functioned as a Levite city, it fundamentally remained the property of Joseph's own tribe [אברבנאל].

When determining how many cities each tribe would provide, the leadership did not rely on a simple numerical calculation or strict population proportions. As a result, smaller tribes sometimes provided the exact same number of cities as tribes that were twice their size. True fairness and justice in this distribution were measured by the quality and value of the cities rather than the sheer quantity, a process managed through careful assessment and strict appraisal [רמב ן המובא באברבנאל].