Lexical Summary machlqah: Division, section, course Original Word: מַחְלְקָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance course (Aramaic) corresponding to machaloqeth; a section (of the Levites) -- course. see HEBREW machaloqeth Brown-Driver-Briggs [מַחְלְקָה] noun feminine class, division, of priests and Levites (Biblical Hebrew מַחְםקֶת); — plural suffix מַחְלְקָֽתְהוֺן Ezra 6:18. חֲמָר see יחוּ Topical Lexicon Term and Placement in Scripture Maḥləqāh, translated “division” or “course,” appears once in the Hebrew canon at Ezra 6:18. The word marks the formal arrangement of priests and Levites at the dedication of the rebuilt temple, underscoring a return to divinely ordered worship after the exile. Background in Post-Exilic Worship The passage belongs to the narrative describing the completion of the Second Temple under Zerubbabel. With altar, temple, and vessels restored, the final step was the orderly installation of ministering personnel: “And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.” (Ezra 6:18) By re-establishing distinct courses, the community affirmed both covenant fidelity and historical continuity with pre-exilic Israel. Continuity with Mosaic Ordinances Ezra deliberately ties the action “to what is written in the Book of Moses,” locating the practice within commands such as Numbers 3:6-10; 8:24-26, where priestly and Levitical duties are allocated by families and age. Although the single term maḥləqāh surfaces only here, the principle of ordered rotations stems from earlier statutes that safeguarded purity, prevented burnout, and ensured that every qualifying descendant of Aaron and Levi shared in temple responsibilities. Organizational Structure of Sacred Service 1 Chronicles 24 documents twenty-four priestly courses arranged by King David and Zadok. Related vocabulary (“courses,” “divisions,” “orders”) recurs throughout Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah (for example, 1 Chronicles 24:19; Nehemiah 12:24). Ezra 6:18 signals that those ancient arrangements were revived, likely mirroring the twenty-four-course system later evident in Luke 1:5 with the “division of Abijah.” This continuity illustrates God’s providential preservation of priestly lineage despite exile and dispersion. Historical Significance Reinstituting divisions achieved several aims: Spiritual Lessons and Theological Significance Order in worship reflects the character of God, who “is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Maḥləqāh therefore embodies: Foreshadowing New Testament Order The priestly courses anticipated the New Covenant pattern where every believer is part of “a chosen people, a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). While Christ fulfills sacrificial rituals, the principle of Spirit-directed order persists (Ephesians 4:11-12). Luke’s reference to Zechariah’s division confirms that the maḥləqāh system still operated in the first century, providing prophetic timing for the coming of Messiah. Related Old Testament Parallels • 1 Chronicles 23:6; 24:1-19 – David organizes priests and Levites. Practical Implications for the Church Today • Structured ministry is biblical: scheduling, training, and rotating servants honors both Scripture and human limitations. Forms and Transliterations בְּמַחְלְקָ֣תְה֔וֹן במחלקתהון bə·maḥ·lə·qā·ṯə·hō·wn bemachleKateHon bəmaḥləqāṯəhōwnLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezra 6:18 HEB: בִּפְלֻגָּתְה֗וֹן וְלֵוָיֵא֙ בְּמַחְלְקָ֣תְה֔וֹן עַל־ עֲבִידַ֥ת NAS: and the Levites in their orders for the service KJV: and the Levites in their courses, for INT: to their divisions and the Levites their orders for the service 1 Occurrence |
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