Yehoshua 21:3

3 And the Bnei Yisroel gave unto the Levi’im out of their nachalah, at the commandment of Hashem, these towns and their migrashim.

Yehoshua 21:3 Meaning and Commentary

Joshua 21:3

And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their
inheritance
Knowing full well there was such a command, made no objection to their motion, but freely gave them cities out of the portion of inheritance allotted to them; this they did

at the commandment of the Lord, and in obedience to it, even gave
these cities and suburbs;
after mentioned: this was done by the tribes themselves; as there were a certain number fixed by the commandment of God, they agreed among themselves how many and what cities should be given out of each tribe; and then lots were cast for them by Joshua, what and which cities should be appropriated to their several divisions, as the Kohathites that sprang from Aaron, and the rest of them that did not, and the Gershonites and Merarites, as follows.

Yehoshua 21:3 In-Context

1 1 Then came near the Rashei Avot Levi’im unto Eleazar HaKohen, and unto Yehoshua ben Nun, and unto the Rashei Avot of the tribes of the Bnei Yisroel;

2 And they spoke unto them at Shiloh in Eretz Kena’an, saying, Hashem commanded by the yad Moshe to give us towns to dwell in, with the migrashim thereof for our livestock.

3 And the Bnei Yisroel gave unto the Levi’im out of their nachalah, at the commandment of Hashem, these towns and their migrashim.

4 And the goral (lot) came out for the mishpekhot of the Kehati. And the Bnei Aharon HaKohen, which were of the Levi’im, had by lot 13 towns out of the tribe of Yehudah, and out of the tribe of Shim’on, and out of the tribe of Binyamin.

5 And the rest of the Bnei Kehat had by goral out of the mishpekhot of the tribe of Ephrayim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Menasheh, 10 towns.