di-vizh'-un: Used in English Versions of the Bible in the following senses:
(1) A separate body of people
(a) of the tribal divisions of Israel (Jos 11:23;12:7;18:10);
(b) of sections of a tribe, "the divisions of Reuben" (Jud 5:15,16the King James Version; but the Revised Version (British and American) rightly substitutes "the watercourses of Reuben"; inJob 20:17the same word is rendered "rivers");
(c) of the (late) organization of priests and Levites into classes or families who ministered in the temple in rotation; translated "courses" generally in the King James Version, and always in the Revised Version (British and American) (1Ch 24:1;26:1,12,19;Ne 11:36; compare2Ch 35:5). Much prominence is given by the Chronicler to the 24 classes of priests, singers, and doorkeepers, who served in turns in the temple (compareLu 1:5,8).
(3) In the New Testament, dissension, disunion, schism (Lu 12:51;Ro 16:17;1Co 3:3the King James Version, omitted the Revised Version (British and American);1Co 1:10;11:18;Ga 5:20).
D. Miall Edwards