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115 Bible Verses about Giving First Fruit Offerings
Think about first fruits – that special offering we give to God. It's a way of saying "thank you" and showing our love for Him. In the Bible, it's often talked about with the first harvest or the firstborn livestock. But it's so much deeper than that, isn't it?
Giving our first fruits is really about acknowledging that everything we have comes from God. It's about honoring Him by giving Him the first and the best – not the leftovers. It's an act of trust, like saying, "God, I know you'll provide. I know you're the owner of everything, and I depend on you."
It's a good reminder to put God first in everything – not just our money, but our time, our talents, how we use what we have, even the decisions we make every single day. When we put God first, we're saying, "I trust you, God. I want your guidance in everything I do."
It's like James 1:181 says, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created." That's pretty powerful, to think of ourselves as God's first fruits.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest.
And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.
When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and settle in it,
And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land that You, O Lord, have given me.” Then you are to place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before Him.
So you shall rejoice—you, the Levite, and the foreigner dwelling among you—in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
When you have finished laying aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat and be filled within your gates.
Then you shall declare in the presence of the Lord your God, “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all the commandments You have given me. I have not transgressed or forgotten Your commandments.
I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while in mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything You commanded me.
Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land You have given us as You swore to our fathers—a land flowing with milk and honey.”
The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. You must be careful to follow them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Today you have proclaimed that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep His statutes and commandments and ordinances, and listen to His voice.
And today the Lord has proclaimed that you are His people and treasured possession as He promised, that you are to keep all His commandments,
that He will set you high in praise and name and honor above all the nations He has made, and that you will be a holy people to the Lord your God, as He has promised.
you are to take some of the firstfruits of all your produce from the soil of the land that the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name,
The best of all the firstfruits and of every contribution from all your offerings will belong to the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest, so that a blessing may rest upon your homes.
Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
I give you all the freshest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain that the Israelites give to the Lord as their firstfruits.
The firstfruits of everything in their land that they bring to the Lord will belong to you. Every ceremonially clean person in your household may eat them.
You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.
Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.
You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma.
while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
“Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast.”
We will also bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of the Lord year by year.
And we will bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the Law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God.
Moreover, we will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God the firstfruits of our dough, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees, and of our new wine and oil. A tenth of our produce belongs to the Levites, so that they shall receive tithes in all the towns where we labor.
You must not hold back offerings from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of your sons.
When you enter the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you shall regard the fruit as forbidden. For three years it will be forbidden to you and must not be eaten.
In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to the Lord.
But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit; thus your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.
We will also bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of the Lord year by year.
From the first of your dough, you are to lift up a cake as a contribution; offer it just like an offering from the threshing floor.
Throughout your generations, you are to give the Lord an offering from the first of your dough.
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
To that place you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the Lord your God has blessed you.
And you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer crushed heads of new grain roasted on the fire.
You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the produce brought forth each year from your fields.
And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the Lord your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
Throughout your generations, you are to give the Lord an offering from the first of your dough.
On the day of firstfruits, when you present an offering of new grain to the Lord during the Feast of Weeks, you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.
I give you all the freshest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain that the Israelites give to the Lord as their firstfruits.
So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the Lord,
while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
To that place you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
Thus any tithe from the land, whether from the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
you are to take some of the firstfruits of all your produce from the soil of the land that the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name,
And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land that You, O Lord, have given me.” Then you are to place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before Him.
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.
Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting.
Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.
Then you shall declare in the presence of the Lord your God, “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all the commandments You have given me. I have not transgressed or forgotten Your commandments.
I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while in mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything You commanded me.
Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land You have given us as You swore to our fathers—a land flowing with milk and honey.”
As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously provided the firstfruits of the grain, new wine, oil, and honey, and of all the produce of the field, and they brought in an abundance—a tithe of everything.
And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.
Moreover, he commanded the people living in Jerusalem to make a contribution for the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord.
As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously provided the firstfruits of the grain, new wine, oil, and honey, and of all the produce of the field, and they brought in an abundance—a tithe of everything.
I also arranged for contributions of wood at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, with favor.
Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Let everyone whose heart is willing bring an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze;
They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this best part of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.
After Moses had given an order, they sent a proclamation throughout the camp: “No man or woman should make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing more,
since what they already had was more than enough to perform all the work.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.
But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
I have all I need and more, now that I have received your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.
One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.
A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
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.
Every tenth animal from the herd or flock that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the Lord.
He must not inspect whether it is good or bad, and he shall not make any substitution. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute shall become holy; they cannot be redeemed.’”
On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a portion of his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will be needed.
When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and settle in it,
And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land that You, O Lord, have given me.” Then you are to place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before Him.
So you shall rejoice—you, the Levite, and the foreigner dwelling among you—in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,
Then He told them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful sights and great signs from heaven.
But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors.
This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses.
So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves.
For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.
And you will be hated by everyone because of My name.
Yet not even a hair of your head will perish.
By your patient endurance you will gain your souls.
and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near.
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city.
For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.
Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees.
“Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.
So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth.
So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.
And early in the morning all the people would come to hear Him at the temple.
For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales,
and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need.
In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.
For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”
Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act.
Do not tell your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I will provide”— when you already have the means.
For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your offerings and choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.
Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,
So all who had willing hearts, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings, rings and necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry. And they all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord.
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.
You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion, so that through us your giving will produce thanksgiving to God.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the Lord of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’
By presenting defiled food on My altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You ?’ By saying that the table of the Lord is contemptible.
When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the Lord of Hosts.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s, and upon them He has set the world.
It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.
Joanna the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were ministering to them out of their own means.
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought their contributions, and they dropped them in the chest until it was full.
Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king’s overseers and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal scribe and the officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this daily and gathered the money in abundance.
Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the Lord.
In making the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less.
And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the Lord your God has blessed you,
For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers stay. Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.”
“Go to Bethel and transgress; rebel even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days.
Offer leavened bread as a thank offering, and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings. For that is what you children of Israel love to do,” declares the Lord GOD.
to the priest who is serving at that time, and say to him, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have entered the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.”
Then the priest shall take the basket from your hands and place it before the altar of the Lord your God,
Then the Lord said to Aaron, “Behold, I have put you in charge of My offerings. As for all the sacred offerings of the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute.
When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’
you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.
This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the peace offering,
“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you— this trampling of My courts?
Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me— your New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations. I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly.
I hate your New Moons and your appointed feasts. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!
Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”
So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?
Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.
And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness;
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.
Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble.
Everyone must appear with a gift as he is able, according to the blessing the Lord your God has given you.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
“When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, his offering must consist of fine flour. He is to pour olive oil on it, put frankincense on it,
But the remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord.
No grain offering that you present to the Lord may be made with leaven, for you are not to burn any leaven or honey as an offering made by fire to the Lord.
You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma.
And you shall season each of your grain offerings with salt. You must not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offering; you are to add salt to each of your offerings.
If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer crushed heads of new grain roasted on the fire.
And you are to put oil and frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.
The priest shall then burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all its frankincense, as an offering made by fire to the Lord.
and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
The remainder of the grain offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord.
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.
So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.