We’ve compiled a shortlist of key terms (and Bible verses) to support your study on tithing. So, you can distinguish between the Bible-based tithe and the modern-day version of tithing. And this helps you identify false teachings about the tithe.

We must have a working knowledge of words, concepts, and doctrines associated with tithing. With this knowledge, you can develop a sound understanding of biblical tithing. Knowing the terminology can help Christians transition from Old Testament tithing to Spirit-led giving under Grace.

Table of Contents

• 1. Pre-Law Tithing
• 2. Mosaic Law
• 3. Money
• 4. Tithe
• 5. Firstfruits
• 6. Freewill Offering
• 7. Heave Offering
• 8. Levitical Priests
• 9. Levitical Tithe
• 10. The Tithe of the Tithe
• 11. Tabernacle
• 12. First and Second Temples
• 13. Storehouse
• 14. Widow’s Mite
• 15. Prosperity Gospel
• 16. New Testament
• 17. Grace
• 18. Spirit-led Giving
• Outsmart the False Teachers

Excuse me! Get a deeper understanding of the different types of tithes and their purpose in biblical and modern times in this thought-provoking article I wrote.

1. Pre-Law Tithing

Pre-law tithing is biblical tithing that occurred before the establishment of the tithe command under the Mosaic Law. The Bible mentions two instances of pre-law tithing. There’s Abram’s (Abraham) tithe to King Melchizedek and Jacob’s vow to give the Lord a tithe.

Abram’s Tithe

Genesis 14:17-20

¹⁷ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale. 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.

Jacob’s Vows to Tithe

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.

2. Mosaic Law

The Mosaic Law is also known as the Law of Moses or the Mosaic Covenant. The Lord established the covenant with ancient Israel using Moses as the mediator. The Mosaic Law consists of 613 commandments, according to biblical scholars.

These were rules and regulations for how the children of Israel were to live as a holy nation. The “Law” is detailed in the first five books of the Bible.

Exodus 24:12

And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

3. Money

The ancient Israelites and other nations used money to buy products and services. The currency was often in the form of coins. Biblical examples include a shekel of silver or gold coins.

Genesis 23:15

My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

4. Tithe

A tithe means 10 percent or one-tenth. Under the Mosaic Law, the biblical tithe refers to crops and livestock raised in the Holy Land of ancient Israel.

Leviticus 27:30

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.

And if you want to know why the tithe is 10 percent, hold up for a second. I encourage you to read an article I wrote revealing the MYSTERY behind the 10 percent.

5. Firstfruits

The first fruits are the first portion of crops yielded during the harvest season. This was an offering made to the Lord during the Jewish feast, which started at the beginning of spring and the grain harvest. This is one way ancient Israel gave thanks for God’s provision.

Exodus 23:16

And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

And if you want to know more about the difference between tithes and first fruits, hold up for a second. I encourage you to read an article I wrote giving a full biblical breakdown of first fruits.

6. Freewill Offering

While giving tithes was mandatory under the Mosaic Law, freewill offerings were voluntary. Various items were given as freewill offerings. These included male goats, sheep, bulls, grains, drinks, jewelry, silver, and gold. This voluntary giving took place in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Exodus 35:22–24

22 And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord.
23 And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them.
24 Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the Lord’s offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.

Leviticus 23:38

38 Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord.

2 Corinthians 9:7

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

7. Heave Offering

A heave offering is a portion of a tithe or first fruits offered and set aside for the Levitical priests.

Exodus 29:28

And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’ by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the Lord.

8. Levitical Priests

All the priests of ancient Israel came from the tribe of Levi. The Lord set them apart to perform the religious duties for the nation of ancient Israel. The only individuals who could serve as priests were the male descendants of Moses’ brother Aaron.

The other males of the tribe served as assistants to the priests. The Levitical priests are also known as the Levitical Priesthood or the Aaronic Priesthood. This priesthood ended with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Exodus 28:1-3

28 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. 3 Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. (NIV)

Hebrews 7:11-17

11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

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9. Levitical Tithe

The Levitical tithe is 10% of the crops and livestock the 11 tribes of ancient Israel had to give to the tribe of Levi. Unlike the other tribes, the Levites had no land to farm or support themselves.

Numbers 18:21-26

21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.
23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
25 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
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.

10. The Tithe of the Tithe

The Lord required the Levites to give 10% of the tithe they received from the other 11 tribes. This is referred to as the “tithe of the tithe.”

Numbers 18:25-29

25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering. 27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’ (NIV)

11. Tabernacle

The tabernacle is where the ancient Israelites worshipped the Lord after their exodus from Egypt. It was the precursor to the First and Second Temples.

Exodus 25:9

Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

12. First and Second Temples

The temples were a replacement for the tabernacle. Each temple provided a centralized place of worship for the children of Israel. King Solomon built the First Temple, also known as Solomon’s Temple.

The Temple was a centralized location for ancient Israel religious activities, such as sacrifices. In later years, the Babylonians destroyed the Temple. Herod the Great built the Second Temple, which the Romans destroyed in 70 A.D.

1 Kings 6:1

6 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel was come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.

Ezra 6:3

3 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:
Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be sixty cubits[a] high and sixty cubits wide, (NIV)

13. Storehouse

The Biblical storehouse is a facility for warehousing tithes (crops and livestock). The tithes were in this facility before being consumed and/or sacrificed. The biblical storehouse was never a place of worship.

Genesis 41:56

When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.

2 Kings 20:13

Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine olive oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

14. Widow’s Mite

A mite is a form of currency used in ancient Rome. It was a tine coin with the least amount of value. Its size and value are similar to that of a U.S. penny. The poor commonly gave a mite as a freewill offering. Jesus tells a story of the Widow’s Mite in the Gospels.

Luke 21:1-4

21 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

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15. Prosperity Gospel

The Prosperity Gospel is known by many names. This includes prosperity theology, seed faith, “blab it and grab it,” and “name it and claim it.” It’s a doctrine of the Word of Faith Movement, which promotes the belief that God will bless Christians with material riches if they make positive confessions, exercise faith, and give so-called tithes (10% of their income) to the church.

1 Timothy 6:9-11

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

16. New Testament

The New Testament replaces the old Mosaic Law covenant. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ established this New Covenant. Unlike the Old Covenant, it’s not based on works of the flesh (daily animal and blood sacrifices) for the atonement of sin.

Instead, it’s new and better based on faith in Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus on the cross at Calvary did what the Mosaic Law (Old Covenant) couldn’t do, which is to take away sins.

2 Corinthians 3:6

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

17. Grace

The Greek word for grace is charis. According to the NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon, it’s defined as the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues. Additionally, it’s stated as God’s unmerited favor.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

2 Timothy 1:9

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

18. Spirit-led Giving

It’s a form of giving that isn’t based on the Mosaic Law like the tithe command. Instead, it’s voluntary. It’s giving initiated by the Holy Spirit and rooted in love. Grace-giving is free of pressure, coercion, and manipulation. It’s the giving fully supported, encouraged, and taught in the New Testament. It’s the act of giving under Grace.

Galatians 5:18

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Romans 6:14

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Outsmart the False Teachers

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Thanks for reading, and be blessed!