Bible glossary

What Does ‘Tithe’ Mean in the Bible?

A tithe is a tenth given back to God, an ancient practice of returning part of what we have received as an act of worship and trust.

To tithe is to give a tenth. In the Bible, God's people set apart a portion of their harvest and income as belonging to the LORD, supporting worship and caring for those in need. It taught them that everything they had came from God in the first place.

The tithe was never really about the money God needed; it was about the heart He wanted. Giving cheerfully loosens the grip of greed and expresses trust that God will provide. The New Testament emphasizes generous, willing, joyful giving over a strict formula.

Key verses

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.”
Malachi 3:10

“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.”
Leviticus 27:30

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7