The ancient Israelites were commanded to donate a tithe, or a tenth, of their annual income. God told them:
Deuteronomy 14:22
22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
The command to tithe was part of the Mosaic Law, a law code that God gave to ancient Israel.
Before the Mosaic Law
The first person recorded as offering a tithe was Abram (Abraham). Abram’s tithe appears to have been a one-time gift to the king-priest of Salem. There is no evidence in the Bible account that Abraham or his children tithed again.
Genesis 14:18-20
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all
The second person mentioned in the Bible as offering a tithe was Abraham’s grandson Jacob. He promised that if God would bless him, he would give to God “a tenth of everything” he received. (Genesis 28:20-22) According to some Bible scholars, Jacob likely paid this tithe in the form of animal sacrifices. While Jacob bound himself by this vow, he did not impose such a tithe on his family.
Genesis 28:20-22
20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God:
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
The ancient Israelites were commanded to tithe as a means of supporting their religious activity.
The tithe provided for full-time religious workers—the Levites, including the priests—who did not have their own land to cultivate.
Numbers 18:20
20 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
The Levites received tithes from the people and contributed the very best “tenth part of the tenth part” to the priests.
Numbers 18:26-29
26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe.
27 And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.
28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the Lord'S heave offering to Aaron the priest.
29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.
It appears that a second yearly tithe was required, which benefited both Levite and non-Levite people.
Deuteronomy 14:22
22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
Israelite families used this provision in connection with special festivals, and on certain years it was shared with the very poor to help with their sustenance
Deuteronomy 14:28
28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
How was the tithe calculated?
Israelites set aside a tenth of the yearly produce of their land.
Leviticus 27:30)
If they chose to pay this tithe in money rather than produce, they had to increase its value by 20 percent.
(Leviticus 27:31)
They were also commanded to give a “tenth part of the herd and flock.”—Leviticus 27:32.
To determine their livestock tithe, Israelites selected every tenth animal that came out of their pen.
The Law stated that they could not examine or exchange these selected animals, nor could they convert their livestock tithe into money.
(Leviticus 27:32, 33)
However, the second tithe for use at the annual festivals could be converted into money. This provision made it more convenient for the Israelites who had to travel a long distance to attend the festivals.
Deuteronomy 14:25, 26.
When did the Israelites tithe? The Israelites tithed each year.
(Deuteronomy 14:22)
However, every seventh year an exception was made. That year was a sabbath, or year of rest, when the Israelites did not cultivate any crops.
(Leviticus 25:4, 5)
In recognition of this special circumstance, no tithe was collected at harvesttime. Every third and sixth year of the seven-year Sabbath cycle, the Israelites shared the second tithe with the poor and the Levites.
Deuteronomy 14:28, 29.
What was the penalty for not paying tithes?
The Mosaic Law did not state a penalty for failing to tithe. Tithing was a moral obligation. The Israelites were to declare before God that they had rendered the tithe and to request God’s blessing for having done so. (Deuteronomy 26:12-15) God viewed withholding the tithe as stealing from him.
Malachi 3:8, 9.
Was the tithe an excessive burden?
No. God promised the nation that if they brought in the tithe, he would pour out his blessing on them and they would lack nothing. (
Malachi 3:10)
On the other hand, the nation suffered when they withheld the tithe. They lost God’s blessing and did not benefit from the work of the priests and Levites whom they had thereby neglected.
Nehemiah 13:10; Malachi 3:7.
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