Reference: Tithe
American
A tenth, the proportion of a man's income devoted to sacred purposes from time immemorial, Ge 14:20; 28:22. This was prescribed in the Mosaic law, Nu 31:31. A twofold tithe was required of each Jewish citizen. The first consisted of one-tenth of the produce of his fields, trees, flocks, and herds, to be given to God as the sovereign Proprietor of all things and as the king of the Jews, Le 27:30-32; 1Sa 8:15,17. The proceeds of this tax were devoted to the maintenance of the Levites in their respective cities, Nu 18:21-24. A person might pay this tax in money, adding one-fifth to its estimated value. The Levites paid a tenth part of what they received to the priests, Nu 18:26-28. The second tithe required of each landholder was one-tenth of the nine parts of his produce remaining after the first tithe, to be expended at the tabernacle or temple in entertaining the Levites, his own family, etc., changing it first into money, if on account of his remoteness he chose to do so, De 12:17-19,22-29; 14:22-27. Every third year a special provision was made for the poor, either out of this second tithe or in addition to it, De 14:28-29. These tithes were not burdensome; but the pious Israelite found himself the richer for their payment, though it does not seem to have been enforced by any legal penalties. The system of tithes was renewed both before and after the captivity, 2Ch 31:5-6,12; Ne 10:37; 12:44; 13:5; but they were not always regularly paid, and hence the divine blessing was withheld, Mal 3:8-12. The Pharisees were scrupulously exemplary in paying their tithes, but neglected the more important duties of love to God and man, Mt 23:23.
The principle of the ancient tithes, namely, that ministers of the gospel and objects of benevolence should be provided for by the whole people of God, according to their means, is fully recognized in Scripture as applicable to the followers of Christ. He sent his servants forth, two and two, without provisions or purses, to receive their support from the people, since "the laborer is worthy of his hire," Mt 10:9-14; Lu 10:4-8,16. Paul also reasons in the same way, 1Co 9:13-14; Ga 6:6. For purpose of piety and beneficence, he directed the Corinthians, and virtually all Christians, to lay aside from their income, on the first day of the week, as the Lord had prospered them, 1Co 16:2. There is no reason to doubt that the early Christians gave more freely of their substance than did the ancient Jews, Ac 4:34-36; 2Co 8:1-4.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And blessed be GOD Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. So he gave unto him a tenth of all.
And, this stone which I have put for a pillar, shall be the house of God, - And, of all which thou shalt give me, a tenth, will I tithe unto thee.
And, as for all the tithe of the land whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the trees, unto Yahweh, it belongeth, - as something holy unto Yahweh. But, if any man should be pleased, to redeem, aught of his tithes, the fifth part thereof, shall he add thereunto. read more. And, as for all the tithe of herd and flock, all that passeth under the rod, the tenth, shall be holy unto Yahweh.
And unto the sons of Levi, lo! I have given all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, - the allotted portion for their laborious work which, they are performing, the laborious work of the tent of meeting: that the sons of Israel come near no more, unto the tent of meeting, - to bear sin, to die. read more. So shall the Levites themselves perform the laborious work of the tent of meeting, and, they, shall bear their iniquity, a statute age-abiding, unto your generations, and in the midst of the sons of Israel, shall they take no inheritance. Because the tenth of the sons of Israel which they shall offer up unto Yahweh as a heave-offering, have I given unto the Levites as an inheritance, - for this cause, said I regarding them, In the midst of the sons of Israel, shall they take no inheritance.
Unto the Levites, therefore shalt thou speak and shalt say unto them, When ye shall take of the sons of Israel the tenth which I have given unto you from them as your inheritance, then shall ye offer up therefrom the heave-offering of Yahweh, a tenth of the tenth. shall your heave-offering be reckoned your own, - as corn out of the threshing-floor, and as the abundance out of the wine-press. read more. Thus, shall ye also, offer up the heave-offering of Yahweh, out of all your tenths which ye shall take from the sons of Israel, - and give therefrom the heave-offering of Yahweh, unto Aaron the priest.
Thou mayest not eat within thy gates, the tithe of thy corn or of thy new wine or of thine oil, or the firstlings of thy herd, or of thy flock, - nor any of thy vow-offerings which thou shalt vow, nor thy freewill, offerings, nor the heave-offering of thy hand; but before Yahweh thy God, shalt thou eat it in the place which Yahweh thy God shall choose, thou and thy son and thy daughter, and thy servant and thy handmaid, and the Levite who is within thy gates, - so shalt thou rejoice before Yahweh thy God, in all whereunto thou puttest thy hand. read more. Take heed to thyself, lest thou forsake the Levite, - all thy days upon thy soil.
Even as the gazelle and the hart is eaten, so, shalt thou eat it, - the unclean and the clean, alike shall eat it. Howbeit firmly refrain from eating the blood; for the blood, is the life, - therefore must thou not eat the life with the flesh. read more. Thou shalt not eat it, - upon the earth, shalt thou pour it out, like water. Thou shalt not eat it, - that is may be well With thee and With thy children after the when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh. Howbeit, thy holy things which thou shalt have and thy vow-offerings, shalt thou take and come in, unto the place which Yahweh shall choose; and shalt offer thine ascending-sacrifices, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of Yahweh thy God, - and the blood of thine other sacrifices, shall be poured out upon the altar of Yahweh thy God, and then the flesh, shalt thou eat. Observe and hear all these things which I am commanding thee, - that it may be well with thee and with thy children after thee, - unto times age-abiding, so long as thou shalt do that which is pleasing and right in the eyes of Yahweh thy God. When Yahweh thy God shall cut off from before thee, the nations Whom thou art going in to dispossess, - and thou do dispossess them, and dwell in their land,
Thou shalt surely tithe, all the increase of thy seed, - which the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before Yahweh thy God - in the place which he shall choose to make a habitation for his name there, - the tithe of thy corn thy new wine and thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock, - that thou mayest learn to revere Yahweh thy God all the days. read more. But, when the way becometh too long for thee because thou canst not carry it, because the place is too far for thee which Yahweh thy God shall choose to put his name there, - because Yahweh thy God blesseth thee, then shalt thou turn it into silver, - and shalt bind up the silver in thy hand, and shalt journey unto the place, which Yahweh thy God shall choose; and shalt turn the silver into whatsoever thy soul desireth - of the herd or of the flock, or of wine or of strong drink, or of whatsoever thy soul shall ask thee for, - and shalt eat it there, before Yahweh thy God, and shalt rejoice, thou and thy household, and, the Levite who is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him, - for he hath neither portion nor inheritance with thee. At the end of three years, shalt thou bring forth all the tithe of thine increase in that year, - and shalt lay it up within thy gates; and the Levite shall come in - because he hath neither portion nor inheritance with thee - and the sojourner and the fatherless and the widow who are within thy gates, and they shall eat and be satisfied, - that Yahweh thy God may bless thee, in all the work of thy hand which thou shalt do.
And, as soon as the thing spread abroad, the sons of Israel caused to abound the firstfruit of corn, new wine, and oil, and honey, and all the increase of the field,-yea, the tithe of all - in abundance, brought they in. And, as for the sons of Israel and Judah who were dwelling in the cities of Judah, even they, a tithe of oxen, and sheep, and a tithe of hallowed things, which had been hallowed unto Yahweh their God, did bring in and pile up - heaps, heaps.
and brought in the heave-offering and the tithe and the hallowed things, faithfully, - and, over them, as chief ruler, was Cononiah the Levite, and Shimei his brother, next;
and, the first part of our meal and our heave-offerings and the fruit of all trees, new wine and oil, would we bring in unto the priests, into the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our ground unto the Levites, - the Levites themselves, taking the tithes in all our cities of agriculture.
And there were sot in charge, on that day, certain men, over the chambers for the treasures, for the heave-offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, out of the fields of the cities, the portions appointed by the law, for the priests, and for the Levites, - for, the joy of Judah, was over the priests and over the Levites, who were remaining.
so he prepared him a large chamber, where aforetime they used to lay the meal-offering, the frankincense, and the utensils, and the tithe of the corn, the new wine and the oil, in charge of the Levites, and the singers, and the doorkeepers, - and the heave-offerings for the priests.
Will, a son of earth, defraud, God? Nevertheless, ye, have been defrauding me, and yet ye say, Wherein have we defrauded thee? In the tithe and the offering. With a curse, have ye been cursing, and yet, me, have ye been defrauding, - the whole nation. read more. Bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, Yea, I pray you, put me to the proof hereby, saith Yahweh of hosts, whether I will not open to you the sluices of the heavens, and pour out for you blessing, until there be no room. Then will I rebuke, for you, the devourer that he spoil not, for you, the fruit of the ground, - neither shall the vine in the field, be barren to you, saith Yahweh of hosts. So shall all the nations, pronounce you happy, - for, ye, shall become, a land of delight, saith Yahweh of hosts.
Ye may procure - neither gold, nor silver, nor copper, for your belts, - neither satchel for journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staff; for, worthy, is the labourer, of his maintenance. read more. And, into whatsoever city or village ye enter, search out who in it is, worthy, and, there, abide, till ye go forth. And, as ye enter the house, salute it; And, if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it, but, if it be not worthy, let your peace, unto you, return. And, whosoever shall neither welcome you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth outside that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet:
Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because ye tithe the mint and the anise and the cummin, - and have dismissed the weightier matters of the law - the justice, the mercy, and the faith; whereas, these, it was binding, to do, and, those, not to, dismiss.
Be not carrying purse, or satchel, or sandals, and, no one along the road, salute ye; And, into whatsoever house ye enter, First, say, Peace to this house! read more. And, if the son of peace be, there, your peace, shall rest upon it; but, otherwise, at least, unto you, shall it return. And, in the self-same house, abide ye, eating and drinking such things as they have; for, worthy, is the labourer, of his hire: be not removing from house to house. And, into whatsoever city ye shall enter, and they bid you welcome, be eating such things as are set before you;
He that hearkeneth unto you, unto me, doth hearken, and, he that setteth you aside, doth set, me, aside; and, he that setteth, me, aside, doth set aside, him that sent me.
For there was not so much as anyone, lacking, among them; for, as many as were possessors of lands or houses, selling them, were bringing the prices of the things that were being sold, And laying them at the feet of the Apostles, while on the other hand they were distributing unto each one, in so far as any one had, need. read more. And, Joseph, who had been surnamed Barnabas by the Apostles, which is to be translated Son of Exhortation, - a Levite, a Cyprian by nation,
Know ye not that, they who labour in the holy rites, do eat the provisions out of the holy place? They who at the altar wait, do, with the altar, share? Thus, also, hath the Lord, appointed - that, they who the glad message tell, should, of the glad-message, live.
Upon the first of the week, let, each one of you, put, by itself, in store, as he may be prospering, - lest, as soon as I come, then, collections, should be in progress.
Howbeit, let him who is being orally instructed in the word, have fellowship with him that is so instructing him, in all good things.
Easton
a tenth of the produce of the earth consecrated and set apart for special purposes. The dedication of a tenth to God was recognized as a duty before the time of Moses. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (Ge 14:20; Heb 7:6); and Jacob vowed unto the Lord and said, "Of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee."
The first Mosaic law on this subject is recorded in Le 27:30-32. Subsequent legislation regulated the destination of the tithes (Nu 18:21-24,26-28; De 12:5-6,11,17; 14:22-23). The paying of the tithes was an important part of the Jewish religious worship. In the days of Hezekiah one of the first results of the reformation of religion was the eagerness with which the people brought in their tithes (2Ch 31:5-6). The neglect of this duty was sternly rebuked by the prophets (Am 4:4; Mal 3:8-10). It cannot be affirmed that the Old Testament law of tithes is binding on the Christian Church, nevertheless the principle of this law remains, and is incorporated in the gospel (1Co 9:13-14); and if, as is the case, the motive that ought to prompt to liberality in the cause of religion and of the service of God be greater now than in Old Testament times, then Christians outght to go beyond the ancient Hebrew in consecrating both themselves and their substance to God.
Every Jew was required by the Levitical law to pay three tithes of his property (1) one tithe for the Levites; (2) one for the use of the temple and the great feasts; and (3) one for the poor of the land.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And blessed be GOD Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. So he gave unto him a tenth of all.
And, as for all the tithe of the land whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the trees, unto Yahweh, it belongeth, - as something holy unto Yahweh. But, if any man should be pleased, to redeem, aught of his tithes, the fifth part thereof, shall he add thereunto. read more. And, as for all the tithe of herd and flock, all that passeth under the rod, the tenth, shall be holy unto Yahweh.
And unto the sons of Levi, lo! I have given all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, - the allotted portion for their laborious work which, they are performing, the laborious work of the tent of meeting: that the sons of Israel come near no more, unto the tent of meeting, - to bear sin, to die. read more. So shall the Levites themselves perform the laborious work of the tent of meeting, and, they, shall bear their iniquity, a statute age-abiding, unto your generations, and in the midst of the sons of Israel, shall they take no inheritance. Because the tenth of the sons of Israel which they shall offer up unto Yahweh as a heave-offering, have I given unto the Levites as an inheritance, - for this cause, said I regarding them, In the midst of the sons of Israel, shall they take no inheritance.
Unto the Levites, therefore shalt thou speak and shalt say unto them, When ye shall take of the sons of Israel the tenth which I have given unto you from them as your inheritance, then shall ye offer up therefrom the heave-offering of Yahweh, a tenth of the tenth. shall your heave-offering be reckoned your own, - as corn out of the threshing-floor, and as the abundance out of the wine-press. read more. Thus, shall ye also, offer up the heave-offering of Yahweh, out of all your tenths which ye shall take from the sons of Israel, - and give therefrom the heave-offering of Yahweh, unto Aaron the priest.
but, unto the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, - as his habitation, shall ye ask your way, and come in thither; and bring in thither your ascending-offerings and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, - and your vow-offerings and your freewill-offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock;
then shall it be, that unto the place which Yahweh your God shall choose to make a habitation for his name there, thither, shall ye bring in all that I am commanding you, - your ascending-offerings and your sacrifices your tithes and the heave-offering of your hand, and all your chosen vow-offerings which ye shall vow unto Yahweh.
Thou mayest not eat within thy gates, the tithe of thy corn or of thy new wine or of thine oil, or the firstlings of thy herd, or of thy flock, - nor any of thy vow-offerings which thou shalt vow, nor thy freewill, offerings, nor the heave-offering of thy hand;
Thou shalt surely tithe, all the increase of thy seed, - which the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before Yahweh thy God - in the place which he shall choose to make a habitation for his name there, - the tithe of thy corn thy new wine and thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock, - that thou mayest learn to revere Yahweh thy God all the days.
And, as soon as the thing spread abroad, the sons of Israel caused to abound the firstfruit of corn, new wine, and oil, and honey, and all the increase of the field,-yea, the tithe of all - in abundance, brought they in. And, as for the sons of Israel and Judah who were dwelling in the cities of Judah, even they, a tithe of oxen, and sheep, and a tithe of hallowed things, which had been hallowed unto Yahweh their God, did bring in and pile up - heaps, heaps.
Enter ye Bethel, and transgress, At Gilgal, cause transgression, to abound, - Yea, carry in, every morning, your sacrifices, every three days, your tithes;
Will, a son of earth, defraud, God? Nevertheless, ye, have been defrauding me, and yet ye say, Wherein have we defrauded thee? In the tithe and the offering. With a curse, have ye been cursing, and yet, me, have ye been defrauding, - the whole nation. read more. Bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, Yea, I pray you, put me to the proof hereby, saith Yahweh of hosts, whether I will not open to you the sluices of the heavens, and pour out for you blessing, until there be no room.
Know ye not that, they who labour in the holy rites, do eat the provisions out of the holy place? They who at the altar wait, do, with the altar, share? Thus, also, hath the Lord, appointed - that, they who the glad message tell, should, of the glad-message, live.
But, he who deriveth not his pedigree from among them, hath taken tithes of Abraham. And, the holder of the promises, hath he blessed.