Deuteronomy 14:22 kjv
Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
Deuteronomy 14:22 nkjv
"You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.
Deuteronomy 14:22 niv
Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.
Deuteronomy 14:22 esv
"You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year.
Deuteronomy 14:22 nlt
"You must set aside a tithe of your crops ? one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year.
Deuteronomy 14 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 14:20 | And he gave him a tithe of all. | Abraham's earlier tithe to Melchizedek. |
| Gen 28:22 | and of all that you give me I will surely give a tenth to you. | Jacob's vow to tithe to God. |
| Lev 27:30 | “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD's; it is holy to the LORD." | Affirmation that all tithes belong to the Lord. |
| Num 18:21 | “To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance in return for their service... ” | Tithe as support for Levites. |
| Num 18:24 | “For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance." | Levites' provision from tithes. |
| Num 18:26 | Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take the tithe... you shall present an offering... a tithe of the tithe.' | Levites give a tithe of their tithe. |
| Deut 12:5-6 | "but to the place which the LORD your God will choose... there you shall bring your burnt offerings... and your tithes..." | Bringing tithes to a central worship place. |
| Deut 12:11 | "then to the place which the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for His name, there you shall bring all that I command you... your tithes..." | Consolidating tithes at the sanctuary. |
| Deut 14:23 | "You shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God... your tithe of grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn..." | Purpose: learning to fear the Lord (immediate context). |
| Deut 14:28-29 | "At the end of every three years... the Levite, the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, may come and eat and be satisfied..." | The three-year tithe for social welfare. |
| Deut 26:12 | "When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing..." | Instruction on giving the third-year tithe. |
| Mal 3:8 | “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” | Rebuking Israel for withholding tithes. |
| Mal 3:10 | “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house..." | Promise of blessing for faithful tithing. |
| Neh 10:37-38 | "Also we will bring... to the Levites the tithes of our ground..." | Covenant to faithfully bring tithes. |
| Neh 13:10-12 | "...for the portions of the Levites had not been given... So all Judah brought the tithe of grain, new wine and oil into the storehouses." | Nehemiah restoring the tithe system. |
| Prov 3:9-10 | "Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled..." | Honoring God with financial provision. |
| 2 Chr 31:4-6 | "Hezekiah commanded the people... to give the portion due to the priests and Levites... And the sons of Israel brought in abundance the first fruits... and tithes." | Restoration of offerings and tithes under Hezekiah. |
| Lk 11:42 | "But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God." | Jesus critiquing hypocritical tithing. |
| Lk 18:12 | "I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get." | Pharisee's boast of tithing. |
| Matt 23:23 | "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters..." | Jesus affirming tithing while emphasizing spiritual priority. |
| Heb 7:5 | And indeed those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment to collect a tenth from the people..." | New Testament affirmation of levitical tithes. |
| 1 Cor 9:13-14 | "Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple...? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to live from the gospel." | Principle of supporting those in ministry. |
| 2 Cor 9:6-7 | "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully... for God loves a cheerful giver." | New Testament principle of generous giving. |
| Ex 23:19 | "You shall bring the choicest of the first fruits of your ground into the house of the LORD your God." | Command regarding firstfruits, principle of offering. |
Deuteronomy 14 verses
Deuteronomy 14 22 Meaning
Deuteronomy 14:22 establishes a foundational command for the Israelites to regularly set aside a tenth (tithe) of all the agricultural produce harvested from their fields each year. This annual offering was not merely a tax, but a sacred duty and an act of worship, signifying God's ownership of the land and His provision for His people. It ensured the functioning of the Levitical priesthood and provided for the needs of the community, fostering a continuous acknowledgment of divine sovereignty and trust in His blessings.
Deuteronomy 14 22 Context
Deuteronomy 14 is part of Moses' farewell speeches to the second generation of Israelites on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the Promised Land. The chapter emphasizes Israel's distinct identity as a holy people belonging to the Lord God. It begins by outlining distinctions from surrounding nations, particularly regarding mourning practices and clean/unclean foods (vv. 1-21). Following this, verses 22-29 directly address tithing, providing practical guidelines for their economic life within the covenant, closely linking their material provision to their spiritual reverence and social responsibility. This agricultural law ensures the people remember their absolute dependence on God for their livelihood and understand their obligation to sustain His service and care for the needy in their society. Historically, in an agrarian society, securing the annual harvest was paramount, and these laws ensured a constant reminder that God, not foreign deities or human effort alone, was the true provider. This served as an indirect polemic against Canaanite fertility cults that claimed Baal or other gods provided the harvests.
Deuteronomy 14 22 Word analysis
- You shall tithe (עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר - 'āsar tᵉʿasśēr): This uses a specific Hebrew grammatical construction called the infinitive absolute (here, עַשֵּׂר - 'āsar, the infinitive absolute, preceding the finite verb תְּעַשֵּׂר - tᵉʿasśēr). This intensifies the command, emphasizing its certainty and absolute obligation. It literally means "you shall surely tithe" or "you shall certainly take a tenth." The root ʿāśar means "to take a tenth" or "to become rich." This highlights that tithing is a non-negotiable command from God, not an optional offering, signifying recognition of divine ownership and provision.
- all the yield (כֹּל תְּבוּאַת - kōl tᵉvūʾat): Kōl means "all" or "every," emphasizing completeness—no part of the harvest is to be exempt from this obligation. Tᵉvūʾat refers to the "produce," "increase," or "income" from the land. This indicates the full bounty from their agricultural labor.
- of your seed (זַרְעֲךָ - zarʿăkā): Literally "your seed" or "what you sow." This specifies the origin of the "yield"—it comes from what was planted. It refers to the resulting produce from the planted crop.
- that comes from the field (הַיֹּצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה - hayyōṣēʾ haśśāḏeh): Hayyōṣēʾ means "that which goes out" or "that which comes forth," specifically emphasizing the physical source of the produce as being directly from the śāḏeh (field). This clarifies that the tithe is based on the harvest gathered from the agricultural land, underscoring the direct connection to God's blessing upon the earth.
- year by year (שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה - šānâ bᵉšānâ): This phrase indicates a continuous, annual practice. It stresses the regularity and recurring nature of the obligation, ensuring that the act of acknowledging God's sovereignty and provision is a perpetual and embedded part of their national life, rather than a one-time or occasional event.
- Words-group analysis:
- "You shall tithe all the yield": This powerful phrase establishes a definitive and universal command for an exact portion (one-tenth) to be given from all of their agricultural income. It underlines divine authority and human obligation, indicating that generosity and dependence are integral to the covenant.
- "of your seed that comes from the field": This grouping precisely defines the source and type of wealth to be tithed: the agricultural bounty resulting from what they sowed in their fields. This reinforces the agrarian context of the command, making the connection between the land's fruitfulness (God's blessing) and their response explicit.
- "year by year": This emphasizes the enduring nature of the commitment. Tithing was not an occasional act but an annual rhythm of life, constantly reaffirming their faith and dedication to God with each new harvest, fostering an ongoing cycle of provision and gratitude.
Deuteronomy 14 22 Bonus section
The concept of tithing in this verse is closely tied to Israel's identity as a peculiar people unto the Lord (Deut 14:2). Their economic practices were to reflect their covenant relationship and set them apart from nations who relied on false gods for prosperity. The specific form of this tithe was agricultural, reflecting Israel's primary occupation, and demonstrated trust that even after giving a tenth, God would ensure their sustenance and blessing for the remaining ninety percent. Furthermore, this verse (and its immediate follow-up in Deut 14:23) introduces the "second tithe," a tithe different from the first tithe given to the Levites (Num 18:21). The tithe of Deut 14:22 was intended to be brought to the central sanctuary and eaten there by the worshiper and his household, alongside the Levite and the stranger (Deut 14:26-27), reinforcing both communal worship and learning to fear the Lord through tangible acts of devotion and enjoyment of God's blessing in His presence.
Deuteronomy 14 22 Commentary
Deuteronomy 14:22 lays down the fundamental law of the annual agricultural tithe in ancient Israel. This command served multiple vital purposes. Firstly, it was a practical means of acknowledging God as the ultimate provider and owner of all their produce. By setting aside a tenth, the Israelites visibly demonstrated their trust in God's ongoing provision, teaching them not to hoard but to steward His blessings. Secondly, as detailed in the surrounding verses (Deut 14:23-29), this tithe (or specific portions of it) facilitated both communal worship and social welfare. A portion was to be consumed in festive communal meals at a central sanctuary, promoting fellowship and learning to "fear the Lord your God always" (v. 23). Another portion, every three years, was specifically designated to support the Levites (who had no land inheritance), the foreigners, the fatherless, and the widows, ensuring that the most vulnerable in society were provided for through the community's obedience. This holistic system embedded theological truth, practical provision for ministry, and compassionate care for the poor within the nation's economic structure. It prevented covetousness and encouraged a mindset of generous dependence on God's bounty.