Bible Study · Tithe vs Offering
Tithe vs Offering in Scripture: Two Words, Two Directions
Scripture uses two different words where English often says only “giving”: a fixed tenth (ma’aser) and a voluntary offering (terumah / korban).
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Reading guide: Use the jump links below · expand any ▸ card for full KJV text · Tithe and Offering badges mark each passage · gold highlights mark load-bearing words.
📋 At a glance
Scripture uses two different words where English often says only “giving”: a fixed tenth (ma'aser) and a voluntary offering (minchah, nedavah, terumah).
Key points
- Tithe — fixed 10%, increase already in hand (Leviticus 27:30).
- Offering — variable, voluntary, often forward-looking in faith (Hebrews 11:4; 2 Corinthians 9:6–7).
- Tithe + Offering — Malachi 3:8 names both as separate things withheld.
- Each verse block shows its category badge before the full KJV text.
Tithe + Offering — In tithes and offerings — two words, one verse (Malachi 3:8).
Malachi 3:8 (KJV, abridged)
⚖️ Tithe vs offering: comparison
| Tithe | Offering | |
|---|---|---|
| Hebrew / Greek | ma’aser · dekatē | minchah, nedavah, terumah · charis, koinōnia |
| Amount | Fixed — 10% | Variable — as purposed in the heart (2 Corinthians 9:7) |
| Required? | Commanded (Leviticus 27:30) | Freewill (Leviticus 22:18, 23) |
| Orientation | Backward — harvest already received | Forward — sown in faith (Galatians 6:7; 2 Corinthians 9:6) |
| Key example | Abram's tenth after victory (Genesis 14:20) | Abel offered by faith (Genesis 4:4; Hebrews 11:4) |
| Paired in | Malachi 3:8 — tithes and offerings named together | Same verse — distinct items |
Tithe
Fixed 10%
Commanded — increase already in hand (Leviticus 27:30). Backward acknowledgment: “this tenth was already yours, Lord.”
Offering
Variable
Freewill — as purposed in the heart (2 Corinthians 9:7). Forward in faith: sowing toward what is not yet seen (Galatians 6:7).
🔤 Hebrew and Greek terms
Word list — tithe vs offering vocabulary
| Word | Language | Meaning | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| ma’aser | Hebrew | the tenth | Tithe |
| dekatē | Greek | a tenth | Tithe |
| minchah | Hebrew | gift / tribute offering | Offering |
| nedavah | Hebrew | freewill offering | Offering |
| terumah | Hebrew | contribution / uplifted gift | Offering |
| charis | Greek | grace-gift | Offering |
| koinōnia | Greek | fellowship contribution | Offering |
| logeia | Greek | collection | Offering |
Word study — “ten” and “rich” share ע-ש-ר · Tithe
Category: Tithe
ma'aser (tithe) is built from eser (ten). ashar (to be rich) shares the same three consonants ע-ש-ר without vowel points — wordplay on the consonantal text, not proof of one root.
“And he gave him tithes of all… lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.”
Genesis 14:20, 22–23 (KJV, abridged)
👤 Who gets what
Where tithe and offering go — flow and table
Tithe (fixed) → minister who sows the Word; offering (voluntary) → building, poor, missions.
| Expense / person | Funded by | Key texts |
|---|---|---|
| Minister who preaches and teaches | Tithe — direct | Numbers 18:21; Malachi 2:7; Galatians 6:6; 1 Timothy 5:17–18 |
| Building, utilities | Offering | Exodus 25:1–2; 35:4–29 |
| Widows, orphans, poor | Offering (NT pattern) | Acts 6:1–6; 1 Timothy 5:9–16; cf. Deuteronomy 14:28–29 |
| Missions, relief | Offering — collection | 1 Corinthians 16:1–4; 2 Corinthians 8–9 |
📜 All verses
How to navigate: grouped by canon section. Each card expands to the full KJV text — badges show tithe, offering, or both. Use Ctrl+F / ⌘F to search.
Law (Torah)
Historical Books
Prophets
New Testament — Tithe
New Testament — Minister support
New Testament — Offering
↔️ Side by side: tithe passage | offering passage
Genesis 14:18–23 | Genesis 4:4 — tenth to priest vs faith offering · Tithe + Offering
Category: Tithe
“And he gave him tithes of all… lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.”
Genesis 14:20, 22–23 (KJV, abridged)
Category: Offering
“And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering.”
Genesis 4:4 (KJV)
Leviticus 27:30 | Exodus 25:2 — LORD’s tenth vs willing heart · Tithe + Offering
Category: Tithe
“And all the tithe of the land… is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.”
Leviticus 27:30 (KJV)
Category: Offering
“…every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.”
Exodus 25:2 (KJV)
Malachi 3:10 | 2 Corinthians 9:6 — storehouse tithe vs sowing offering · Tithe + Offering
Category: Tithe
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house…”
Malachi 3:10 (KJV)
Category: Offering
“He which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
2 Corinthians 9:6 (KJV)
Further study
Full tithe-verse list, Malachi 3 in depth, and recipient comparison: Malachi 3 and Every Tithe Verse.
Static view of the animated flow above: tithe (fixed) to the minister who sows the Word; offering (voluntary) to building, poor relief, and missions.
Deuteronomy 14:28–29: The third-year tithe stored locally fed the stranger, orphan, and widow (landless Levites also eligible) — which can look like one combined fund. Usual reading: Numbers 18:21 (annual) and Deuteronomy 14:22–29 (third-year) are two separate tithes, not one. The NT keeps the same split — Acts 6 and the Corinthian collection (1 Corinthians 16; 2 Corinthians 8–9) run poor relief apart from direct teacher support. Poor relief stays the Offering stream, parallel to Tithe for the one who teaches.
Under the Law, the annual tithe and the every third-year welfare tithe are separate streams — not one combined fund. Today, poor relief runs on the offering stream (Acts 6).