division
ma.cha.lo.qet denotes an assigned division, especially an organized group for service, and also a tribal territorial allotment.
The term most often identifies organized divisions of priests, Levites, gatekeepers, or the king's personnel, assigned to service, duties, watches, or monthly rotation. In the Joshua and Ezekiel passages, it marks the divisions by which land is allotted among Israel's tribes.
Senses in use
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Organized groups assigned to service or rotation · dominant
Plural forms identify Levites arranged by the sons of Levi in 1 Chronicles 23:6, gatekeepers with charges in the house of the LORD in 1 Chronicles 26:12, and priestly and Levitical groups ready for service in 1 Chronicles 28:21. In 1 Chronicles 27:1, the APB renders a monthly arrangement in which a division comes in and goes out, with one division consisting of twenty-four thousand; the singular construct forms in 1 Chronicles 27:10 identify the group under a monthly leader.
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Tribal divisions for land allotment · occasional
Construct plural forms occur where Joshua gives or divides land to Israel according to tribal divisions in Joshua 11:23, Joshua 12:7, and Joshua 18:10. Ezekiel 48:29 similarly places the term in the declaration of land allotted as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly renders the term as “divisions” in service and administrative contexts, including priestly, Levitical, gatekeeping, and monthly arrangements. In the land passages it speaks of “tribal divisions”; These renderings confirm the clauses' overall presentation rather than establish a separate English equivalent for every form.