Numbers 35:8
And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.
The command requires each tribe to surrender dwelling places for the Levites out of its own inherited possession, with a larger inheritance yielding more cities and a smaller inheritance yielding fewer. The Levites were given no separate tribal territory and no single portion of land for an inheritance as the other tribes received. Instead they received forty-eight cities scattered and distributed among all the tribes throughout the country.
Those cities carried large suburban lands, reckoned at about fifteen acres per Levite, used for family gardens and vineyards and chiefly for grazing cattle. The allotment was not intended for financial profit but to give health and a clear mind for work among the people during the two weeks out of three spent at home. The cattle raised on those ranges supplied all the daily national offerings, because the Levites with their cattle had been taken in place of the firstborn and the firstlings of the other tribes, so that whether at the sanctuary or in their cities they were always employed for the sanctuary. Support for the Levites also came from tithes of the produce of the land.
The verse stands in the closing chapters of Numbers giving instructions concerning the cities for the tribe of Levi, including the cities of refuge, together with laws concerning murder and the marriage of heiresses. Six of the Levitical cities were appointed as cities of refuge, where one who had killed someone unwittingly could flee and remain safe until the death of the high priest. Scattering the Levites among the tribes placed them near the people they served, so that their influence for good would be felt more widely throughout Israel and they could perform priestly duties. This dividing in Jacob and scattering in Israel turned the curse pronounced upon Levi into a blessing, showing that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that when He has pronounced evil against the wicked, if they turn from their evil He will repent of the evil He thought to do and give blessing instead of curse.
The provision for cities of refuge means cities are to become true cities of refuge, made clean and bright by the gentle healing touch of Christ. In that work they are to give victory and praise to immigrants. They are to give full manhood and saving knowledge of Jesus Christ to Black people. They are to give rescue to poor women and helpless children suffering and dying in tenements and sweat-shops.