Tithe
Old Testament Tithe Scriptures
1. Abraham’s Tithe to Melchizedek (Pre-Law Example)
Genesis 14:20 – "And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your
hand!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything."
2. Jacob’s Vow to Tithe (Pre-Law Example)
Genesis 28:22 – "And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of
all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you."
3. The Law of Tithing (Mosaic Law)
Leviticus 27:30 – "Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the
trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord."
Leviticus 27:32 – "And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass
under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord."
Numbers 18:21 – "To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return
for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting."
Numbers 18:24 – "For the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to
the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance."
Deuteronomy 12:6 – "And there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your
tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and
the firstborn of your herd and of your flock."
Deuteronomy 12:11 – "Then to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his
name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your
sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings
that you vow to the Lord."
Deuteronomy 12:17 – "You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your
wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings
that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present."
Deuteronomy 14:22-23 – "You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field
year by year. And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name
dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the
firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always."
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 – "At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of
your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has
no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are
within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in
all the work of your hands that you do."
Deuteronomy 26:12 – "When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the
third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and
the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled..."
4. Prophetic Rebukes for Neglecting Tithes
Malachi 3:8-10 – "Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we
robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing
me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in
my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows
of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need."
New Testament Tithe Scriptures
1. Jesus Affirms Tithing (But Criticizes Neglecting Justice & Mercy)
Matthew 23:23 – "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill
and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and
faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others."
Luke 11:42 – "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and
neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the
others."
Luke 18:12 – "I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get." (Pharisee’s boast)
2. Hebrews on Abraham’s Tithe to Melchizedek
Hebrews 7:4-10 – Discusses how Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek, showing the
superiority of Christ’s priesthood over the Levitical system.
Summary:
Old Testament: Tithing was mandatory under the Law (10% to Levites, plus additional
tithes for feasts and the poor).
New Testament: Tithing is not commanded for Christians, but giving generously (2 Cor.
9:7) and supporting the church is emphasized.