Bible Strands
Luke 18:12
I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Pharisee declares this to God within a parable, positioning himself apart from the tax collector to contrast his own religious discipline with others. The statement follows his immediate comparison of himself to swindlers, evildoers, adulterers, and the tax collector.
The words — The verb νηστεύω (nēsteuō) literally means "I fast," modified by δὶς (dis), "twice," to quantify his ascetic routine. He pairs this with ἀποδεκατῶ (apodekatō), "I tithe," specifying that he gives a tenth of everything he acquires.
The thread — Jesus later critiques similar tithing habits in Luke 11:42 and Matthew 23:23, noting that Pharisees tithe herbs while neglecting justice and love for God. The emphasis on frequent fasting also surfaces in Matthew 9:14, where John’s disciples and the Pharisees are noted for their regular fasting schedules.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to assess whether religious routines function as tools for self-justification rather than genuine devotion. It forces a direct comparison between outward compliance and the posture of the heart before God.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Cross-references
- Luke 11:42 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.
- Matthew 23:23 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.
- Matthew 9:14 Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often, but Your disciples do not fast?”
- Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
- Leviticus 27:30 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.
- Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings.
- Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
- Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:
- 1 Timothy 4:8 For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.
- Numbers 18:24 For I have given to the Levites as their inheritance the tithe that the Israelites present to the LORD as a contribution. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”