Numbers 26:29 uses this gentilic form to designate the clan descended from Machir, son of Manasseh. The definite article makes it a collective: 'the Machirites' as a family group. This was a powerful clan; Machir himself is described as a 'man of war' and his descendants conquered Gilead in the Transjordan. The census in Numbers 26 counts them among Manasseh's clans, highlighting their importance in the tribal structure. The Machirite clan bridged east and west—some in Gilead, some west of the Jordan—maintaining family identity across the river divide.