“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.”
My Notes
What Does Leviticus 27:30 Mean?
The tithe is declared holy to the LORD. All of it — seed of the land, fruit of the tree. A tenth belongs to God. It's not a gift from you to God. It's a return of what was already His. The tithe is holy before you give it because it belonged to God before you harvested it.
The phrase "it is holy unto the LORD" means the tenth is consecrated — set apart, belonging to the sacred realm. It's not ordinary produce that you decide to make holy by giving. It's holy inherently. The holiness exists before the giving. You're not sanctifying the tenth by offering it. You're recognizing its existing status.
The scope — "all the tithe of the land" — is comprehensive. Seed and fruit. Agriculture and orchards. Everything the land produces includes a tenth that belongs to God. The principle isn't selective: it applies to everything you receive from what God has given you.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does thinking of the tithe as 'already God's' (not 'your gift to God') change your relationship with giving?
- 2.Where are you holding onto the tenth as if it were yours rather than returning what belongs to Him?
- 3.How does the comprehensive scope ('all the tithe of the land') challenge selective or convenient tithing?
- 4.Does the holiness of the tithe (sacred before you give it) feel like a command or a revelation?
Devotional
A tenth of everything the land produces is the LORD's. Not becomes the LORD's when you give it. Is the LORD's. Already.
The tithe isn't a gift. It's a return. The tenth was never yours. It was holy — consecrated, set apart, belonging to God — before you harvested it. Before you counted it. Before you decided whether to give it. It was already His.
This reframes the entire conversation about generosity. You're not giving God something that was yours. You're returning something that was His. The tenth of the crop was holy the moment it grew. Your act of tithing doesn't make it sacred. Your act of tithing recognizes what was sacred all along.
"All the tithe" — seed and fruit. Field crops and tree crops. Everything. The principle doesn't apply to some income and not others. It applies to all of it. Whatever the land produces, a tenth belongs to God. No category is exempt.
This is either the most liberating or the most confronting financial principle in the Bible. Liberating because it means you're not giving away what's yours. You're holding what isn't. The 90% is yours. The 10% was never yours. You're just delivering it to its owner.
Confronting because most of us treat the tenth as optional — a generous gesture when we can afford it. God says: it's holy. Already. Whether you acknowledge it or not. The tenth is Mine. You're not debating whether to give. You're deciding whether to keep what doesn't belong to you.
The tithe is holy to the LORD. It always was. Return it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And if a man, will redeem ought of his tithes,.... Of his own, and not his neighbour's, as Jarchi observes; for if he…
All the tithe of the land - This God claims as his own; and it is spoken of here as being a point perfectly settled, and…
Here is, I. A caution given that no man should make such a jest of sanctifying things to the Lord as to sanctify any…
Laws concerning tithes
A distinction is here made between the tithe on the yield of the land or of fruit trees, and…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture