Bible teaching on tithing

What the Bible tells us about tithing.

These verses give us a  good understanding of the biblical teachings on tithing, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. While the practice of tithing has changed somewhat over time, these verses highlight its significance as an act of worship and commitment to God’s work.

1. Genesis 14:18-20 – “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
2. Genesis 28:20-22 – “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.’”
3. Leviticus 27:30-34 – “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord… The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord.”
4. Numbers 18:21-32 – “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting… You must also give the Levites a tenth of the tithes you receive from the Israelites.”
5. Deuteronomy 14:22-29 – “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year… At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied.”
6. 2 Chronicles 31:5-12 – “As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything.”
7. Nehemiah 10:37-38 – “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the firstfruits of our ground and of every fruit tree, as well as the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and flocks. And we will bring a tenth of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work.”
8. Malachi 3:8-12 – “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’”
9. Matthew 23:23 – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”
10. Luke 11:42 – “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”
11. Hebrews 7:1-10 – “This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means ‘king of righteousness’; then also, ‘king of Salem’ means ‘king of peace’… And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.”