Greek word · G586

ἀποδεκατόω

apodekatoō

to tithe

To set apart a tenth, to tithe; less often, to collect tithes (Heb 7:5). In the Greek Old Testament it translates Hebrew 'asar, 'to tithe'.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 23, 2026

What it means

ἀπο-δεκατοω,

[in LXX for עָשַׂר in both senses foll., e.g. (1) Genesis 28:22 (2) 1 Samuel 8:15 ;]

1. with accusative of thing(s), to tithe, pay a tenth of: Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42.

2. C. accusative of person(s), to exact tithes from: Hebrews 7:5.

3. to decimate (Socr., HE, 573 A; see Kennedy, Sources, 117).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Range of meaning: To set apart a tenth, to tithe; less often, to collect tithes (Heb 7:5). In the Greek Old Testament it translates Hebrew 'asar, 'to tithe'.
Against the English: Modern readers often hear 'tithe' as 10% of money income given to a church. In the Torah the tithe was a tenth of farm produce and livestock: grain, new wine, oil, flocks (Lev 27:30–33; Deut 14:22–29). It supported Levites and priests and was shared with the poor.
How it drifted: Later Christian practice turned the agricultural tithe into a cash contribution. The word itself is not mistranslated.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Deut 14:22; Gen 28:22. The Mishnah (m. Maaserot 1:1) extends the duty to 'whatever is food, is guarded, and grows from the earth'. m. Demai 2:1 names cumin, m. Maaserot 4:5 records debate over dill, and m. Shevi'it 9:1 exempts rue. Luke's parallel (11:42) adds rue and 'every herb'.

Range of meaning: To give or set aside a tenth, to tithe. It can also mean to collect a tithe from someone (Heb 7:5). Here it is the giver's act.
Against the English: 'Tithe' is accurate. But modern readers often picture a tenth of monetary income given to a local church. Here it means a tenth of agricultural produce, given under the Mosaic tithe laws to support Levites and priests, for festival meals in Jerusalem, and for the poor.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the LXX it translates Hebrew ʿāśar (Gen 28:22; Deut 14:22, 'you shall surely tithe all the yield of your seed'). Lev 27:30 extends the tithe to 'the seed of the land and the fruit of the tree'. Tobit 1:6–8 and Josephus (Antiquities 4.68, 4.205, 4.240) describe the system of multiple tithes. In the Mishnah, Ma'aserot 1:1 rules that anything grown, guarded and eaten as food is liable. The tractate Demai deals with produce of doubtful tithing status, which strict groups re-tithed. In Luke 18:12 a Pharisee boasts, 'I tithe all that I acquire.'

Range of meaning: To give or pay a tenth. In the LXX it can also mean to collect a tenth (1 Sam 8:15–17, where the king takes a tenth). In Jewish religious usage it means separating the tenths that the Torah requires from agricultural produce and herds.
Against the English: English 'tithe' is a fair rendering, but modern readers usually picture a tenth of a paycheck given to a local church. The first-century practice was a tenth of grain, wine, oil, produce and livestock. It supported Levites and priests (Num 18:21–28), was eaten as a sacred meal in Jerusalem (Deut 14:22–27), and in certain years was given to the poor (Deut 14:28–29).
How it drifted: Later Christian practice applied the word to money giving for church support, and over time to a percentage of wages. The Greek word itself is about the Torah's produce tithes.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Gen 28:22; Deut 14:22; Neh 10:37–38. In the NT: Matt 23:23 and Luke 11:42 (Pharisees tithing mint, dill, rue and every herb, which Jesus says they 'ought to have done' while not neglecting justice and the love of God); Heb 7:5. Tobit 1:6–8 portrays a pious man taking several tithes to Jerusalem. Mishnah Demai 2:2 says one who takes on being 'trustworthy' tithes 'what he eats, what he sells, and what he buys'. Josephus (Antiquities 4.68, 4.205, 4.240) describes the tithe system.

Matthew · 1

Matthew 23:23 ἀποδεκατοῦτε you pay tithes of

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Here: Present tense: you keep doing it, regularly and carefully. They set aside a tenth of even small kitchen herbs.

Luke · 2

Luke 11:42 ἀποδεκατοῦτε you pay tithes of

Woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.

Here: Present tense: you tithe as a regular habit. They carefully set aside a tenth of even the smallest garden produce, as the Law of tithes required (Deut 14:22).
Luke 18:12 ἀποδεκατῶ I tithe

I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’

Here: Present tense habit: 'I regularly set aside a tenth.' The word belongs to the Torah's system of giving a tenth of farm produce to the Levites and priests. Like the fasting, the claim is that he goes beyond what is required.

Hebrews · 1

Hebrews 7:5 ἀποδεκατοῦν to take a tenth

Now the law commands the sons of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers—though they too are descended from Abraham.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.