Genesis 14:20

14:20 Worthy of praise is ¹  the Most High God,

who delivered ²  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ³  a tenth of everything.

Leviticus 27:30-33

Redemption of the Tithe

27:30 “‘Any tithe ⁴  of the land, from the grain of the land or from the fruit of the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 27:31 If a man redeems ⁵  part of his tithe, however, he must add one fifth to it. ⁶  27:32 All the tithe of herd or flock, everything which passes under the rod, the tenth one will be holy to the Lord. ⁷  27:33 The owner ⁸  must not examine the animals to distinguish between good and bad, and he must not exchange it. If, however, he does exchange it, ⁹  both the original animal ¹⁰  and its substitute will be holy. ¹¹  It must not be redeemed.’”

Deuteronomy 14:22-23

The Offering of Tribute

14:22 You must be certain to tithe ¹²  all the produce of your seed that comes from the field year after year. 14:23 In the presence of the Lord your God you must eat from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, ¹³  your olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the place he chooses to locate his name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.

[14:20]  ¹ tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.

[14:20]  ² sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.

[14:20]  ³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:30]  ⁴ tn On the “tithe” system in Israel, see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:1035-55 and esp. pp. 1041-42 on Lev 27:30-33.

[27:31]  ⁵ tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] a man redeems [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[27:31]  ⁶ tn Heb “its one fifth on it.”

[27:32]  ⁷ sn The tithed animal was the tenth one that passed under the shepherd’s rod or staff as they were being counted (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 485, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 200).

[27:33]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner of the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:33]  ⁹ tn Heb “And if exchanging [infinitive absolute] he exchanges it [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[27:33]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “it and its substitute.” The referent (the original animal offered) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:33]  ¹¹ tn Heb “it shall be and its substitute shall be holy.”

[14:22]  ¹² tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, indicated in the translation by the words “be certain.”

[14:23]  ¹³ tn This refers to wine in the early stages of fermentation. In its later stages it becomes wine (יַיִן, yayin) in its mature sense.