Every Passage Where Tithing is Mentioned

Passages

Description

Ge. 14:17-20 ¹⁷Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s valley). ¹⁸And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. ¹⁹And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; ²⁰And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tenth of all

• Melchizedek received a tithe of all the goods Abraham obtained in battle.
• This took place before the giving of the Mosaic Law.
• Abram recognized Melchizedek as his spiritual superior.
• The king of Sodom (Bera v.2) met Abram (v.17).
• The king of Salem (Melchizedek) met Abram (v.18). He blessed Abram (vv.19-20).
• Abram swore he would not take anything from Sodom lest they take credit for Abram’s blessings.

Genesis 28:22 "And this stone, which I have set up a as a pillar, will be God’s house; and of all that Thou dost give me I will surely give a tenth to Thee."

• Jacob’s promising to give a tenth was one of six promises he made to the Lord. These show God’s protecting presence.
• (1) having a fear before the Lord (2) erecting a memorial stone …pillar (3) consecrating the stone by anointing it with oil (4) naming the place Bethel ("house of God") commemorating the event (5) making a vow expressing faith in the Lord as my God (6) promising a tithe.

Le. 27:30-33 ³⁰Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. ³¹If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. ³²And for every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. ³³He is not to be concerned whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; or if he does exchange it, then both it and its substitute shall become holy. It shall not be redeemed.

• All the tithe of the land (seed, fruit) is holy.
• If part of the tithe is redeemed, he must add 1/5 to it.
• 1/10 of herds or flocks is to be given whether good or bad. This should not be exchanged, but if it is, both it and the substitute become holy.
• V32, "whatever passes under the rod." The herd or flock passed through a narrow gateway, one at a time, where every tenth was marked whether male or female, good or bad.

Nu. 18:21-32 ²¹And to the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting. ²²And the sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting again, lest they bear sin and die. ²³Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁴For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel." ²⁵Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁶"Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe. ²⁷And your offering shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat. ²⁸So you shall also present an offering to the Lord from your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the Lord’s offering to Aaron the priest. ²⁹Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the Lord, from all the best of them, the sacred part from them. ³⁰And you shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be reckoned to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor, and as the product of the wine vat. ³¹And you may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting. ³²And you shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have offered the best of it. But you shall not profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, lest you die.’"

• The Levites had no territorial inheritance, but had a greater one—The Lord Himself.
• The Levites received tithes from the people as their source of income for their service at the tabernacle.
• Only the Levites could approach the tabernacle, thus they represented the people.
• The Levites were to give a tithe of their income back to the Lord. This was to be grain or wine (v.27). It must be the best (vv.29-32). This was to go directly to the priests (v.28).
• Apparently, the remainder was kept at the tabernacle. The Levites could eat this anywhere they chose.

V.32, when they did this God’s way, they would be free of blame before God.

De. 12:6,11,15-19 ⁶And there you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the first-born of your herd and of your flock. …¹¹then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God shall choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the Lord. …¹⁵However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and the deer. ¹⁶Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water. ¹⁷You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or new wine, or oil, or the first-born of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings which you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the contribution of your hand. ¹⁸But you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all your undertakings. ¹⁹Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

V.16, "the blood" was covered over with dirt (Le.17:13). The heathen did not cover the blood in their rituals.

Within the Gates

Before the Lord (Tabernacle)

• Slaughter meat, whatever you desire.
• Clean and unclean alright.
• Shall not eat blood, but must be poured out.
• Can be eaten w/o taken to the central sanctuary as long as they were not slaughtered for an offering. Since these are not intended for sacrificial worship, it did not matter whether they were ceremonially unclean or clean.

• Tithe of your grain
• New wine Oil
• First born of herds and flock.
• Votive offerings
• Freewill offerings (person thanked God—Le.7:16-17; 22:18-23).
• Contribution of your hand (special gifts to the priests)
• Male and female
• Son and daughter.
• Servants
• Levites within your gate.
• You shall rejoice before your God
• These acts of worship were to be times of joy.

De. 14:22-29 ²²You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. ²³And you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, in order that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. ²⁴And if the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, ²⁵then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. ²⁶And you may spend the money for whatever your heart desires, for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. ²⁷Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you. ²⁸At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. ²⁹And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

• Tithe all the produce from the field every year

In order that the Lord God may bless you in all your work.

De. 26:12-15 ¹²When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns, and be satisfied. ¹³And you shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all Thy commandments which Thou hast command me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Thy commandments. ¹⁴I have not eaten of it while mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of the Lord my God; I have done according to all that Thou hast commanded me. ¹⁵Look down from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel, and the ground which Thou hast given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Thou didst swear to our fathers.’

• The third year ("the year of tithing")

(These 2 are given to celebrate Israel’s transition from a nomadic existence to a settled agricultural community. All made possible by God’s blessings).

2 Ch. 31:4-10 ⁴Also he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the law of the Lord. ⁵And as soon as the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of all. ⁶And the sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah, also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of sacred gifts which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and placed them in heaps. ⁷In the third month they began to make the heaps, and finished them by the seventh month. ⁸And when Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and His people Israel. ⁹Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. ¹⁰And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok said to him, "Since the contributions began to be brought into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the lord has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over."

• Hezekiah reestablished proper temple worship including burnt offerings for daily, weekly, monthly, and annual sacrifices (2Ch.31:3; Nu.28-29; 1Ch.23:30-31).
• Plus Hezekiah directed the people to support the priests and Levites (2Ch.31:4).

The people’s gifts were piled so great (2Ch.31:8) that the king ordered storerooms to be built to accommodate the excess (2Ch.31:9-10).

Ne. 10:34-39 ³⁴Likewise we cast lots for the supply of wood among the priests, the Levites, and the people in order that they might bring it to the house of our God, according to our fathers’ households, at fixed times annually, to burn on the alter of the Lord our God as it is written in the law; ³⁵and in order that they might bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the Lord annually, ³⁶and bring to the house of our God the first-born of our sons and of our cattle, and the first-born of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God. ³⁷We will also bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the oil to the priests at the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our ground to the Levites for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns. ³⁸And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes, and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. ³⁹For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine and the oil, to the chambers; there are the utensils of the sanctuary, the priests who are ministering, the gatekeepers, and the singers. Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.

• Annually, bring first fruits of the ground, first fruits of all fruit of every tree, the first born of our sons, and of cattle, first born of herds and flocks for the priests (Ne.10:34-36), to "the house of our God" (Ne.1034-39).
• The first of their dough, contributions, fruit of every tree, new wine, oil, to the priest at the chamber of the house of God (Ne.10:37).

oil

Ne. 12:44-47 ⁴⁴On that day men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served. ⁴⁵For they performed the worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon. ⁴⁶For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were leaders of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God. ⁴⁷And so all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated portion for the sons of Aaron.

• Men were appointed over the chamber of the stores (contributions, first fruits, tithes).
• Singers, gate keepers –portions were given to them each day whatever was required for them.
• Portions were given to the Levites who also set apart the portion to the priests..
• Nehemiah served as governor of Judah 12 years (444BC-432BC)—Ne.5:14 cf. Ne.13:6.

Ne. 13:4-14 ⁴Now prior to this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being related to Tobiah, ⁵had prepared a large room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils, and the tithes of grain, wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. ⁶But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king. ⁷and I came to Jerusalem and learned about the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, by preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. ⁸And it was very displeasing to me, so I threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. ⁹Then I gave an order and they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings and the frankincense. ¹⁰I also discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone away, each to his own field. ¹¹So I reprimanded the officials and said, "Why is the house of God forsaken? Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts. ¹²All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. ¹³And in charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered reliable, and it was their task to distribute to their kinsmen. ¹⁴Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.

• While Nehemiah was gone (Ne.13:6) Eliashib the high priest in Judah (Ne.3:1,20; 13:28), prepared a large room at the temple for Tobiah to stay in.
• Tobiah the Ammonite opposed Nehemiah from building the wall (Ne.2:10-19; 4:3,7; 6:1,12,17,19). Here Tobiah could oppose God’s work while posing to assist it!
• The large room was one of the temple storerooms (Ne.13:4; 12:44). The storeroom was empty because the people had failed to bring their tithes and offerings to the Levites.
• These leaders had previously promised before God and the people that they would not let this happen (Ne.9:38; 10:14-29,35,37,39).
• Nehemiah sent the Levites back to their posts and appointed a priest, scribe, Levite, and an assistant to oversee the distribution of the people’s tithe (grains, new wine, oil—v.12,5; 10:39).

Am. 4:4-5 ⁴Enter Bethel and transgress; In Gilgal multiply transgression! Bring your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every three days. ⁵Offer a thank offering also from that which is leavened, And proclaim freewill offerings, make them known. For so you love to do, you sons of Israel, Declares the Lord God.

• In a sarcastic manner Amos tells Israel to go to Bethel (chief sanctuary of the north where the king worshipped—Am.3:14), and Gilgal (its memorial stones marks Israel’s entrance into the land—Josh.4) instead of the normal "come into the sanctuary to worship (Ps.95:6; 96:8-9; 100:2-4).
• The "three days" may refer to a custom of offering tithes (De.12:4-7; 14:22-27) on the third day after arriving at the sanctuary.
• These tithes were set aside every three years to help the poor.
• All their offerings were done with the wrong motives. They carried out these activities to impress others, and not to fellowship with God. They would brag about their devotion, but their day-to-day conduct violated the spirit of their offerings.

Ma. 3:7-11 ⁷From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes, and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. "But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ ⁸Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed Thee?’ In tithes and contributions. ⁹You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! ¹⁰Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need. ¹¹Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes, says the Lord of hosts.

• Israel pretended to be ignorant of her waywardness.
• Israel was accused of robbing God by not bringing tithes and offerings.

Mt. 23:23-24 ²³Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. ²⁴You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

• The Pharisees tithed meticulously down to the smallest detail. But they failed to demonstrate justice, mercy, and faithfulness demanded by the Law. They majored on the minors and vice versa.
• Jesus was not saying tithing was unimportant, but that neglecting one area at the expense of the other was wrong.

Lu. 11:42-44 ⁴²But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. ⁴³Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the front seats in the synagogues, and the respectful greetings in the market places. ⁴⁴Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.

• The Pharisees were bound up in the ritual of the Law. They were filled with pride, loving the most important seats in the synagogues.
• Just as walking on an unmarked grave unknowingly defiled a Jew (Nu.19:16), the Pharisees unknowingly contaminated the entire nation.

Lu. 18:9-14 ⁹And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ¹⁰Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. ¹¹The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people, swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. ¹²I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get. ¹³But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling, saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner! ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted.

The pride of the Pharisee is contrasted with the humbleness of the tax collector.

He. 7:4-10 ⁴Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. ⁵And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. ⁶But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham, and blessed the one who had the promises. ⁷But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. ⁹And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, ¹⁰for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

• Melchizedek was superior to the Levites as well as Abraham. The Levites collected tithes but were subject to death, but the tithe collected from Abraham was collected by him who is declared to be living.
• The writer knew that Levi did not literally pay tithes to Melchizedek, but on the principle that an ancestor is greater than his descendants. Abraham’s act affirmed Melchizedek’s superiority to the Levitical priests.