Numbers 33:54
And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.
Canaan was to be apportioned by lot as a lasting inheritance distributed among Israel's families, with larger family groups receiving a larger share of land and smaller groups a smaller share. The casting of lots fixed the location of each person's inheritance, so that every man received his portion in the place where his own lot fell. This divine arrangement barred individuals from selecting the most fertile districts for themselves and from seizing more than their rightful portion.
The portion thus allotted was not to become an article of free trade or speculation for profit. Extreme poverty might compel a man to sell his inheritance, yet he himself retained the right to buy it back, as did a near relative acting on his behalf. Even when unredeemed, the land reverted to its original family in the year of jubilee, and by this safeguard the poor and unfortunate were preserved in their opportunity to enjoy their appointed inheritance.