To live in the capital was consequently to live in constant danger and in constant fear.

So it is not to be wondered at that they avoided it, and that they settled down in the villages and left the capital to take care of itself.
Nehemiah sees that steps must be taken to put a stop to this state of things.

In order to bring about the end he had in view, he first took a census of the whole nation, and then he required each town and district to send a tenth of its people to live in Jerusalem.
But of whom was the tenth to consist?
How should the number of those who were to migrate to the capital be chosen?
It was done by lot; they drew lots who were to go and who were to stay.

This was probably done in the usual Jewish way, by means of pebbles.

The people of a village would be divided into tens, then a bag would be brought out containing nine dark-coloured pebbles and one white one.