Hebrews 7:4

Now consider how great this man was, unto whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the chief spoils.

Regarding the tithes that Abraham paid to Melchizedek, Bristol observed that

Not only was the amount determined as one tenth, but the Greek word denotes the quality of the gift, in that it consisted of the best of the plunder. It was the best that was usually offered to the gods in Greek warfare.[8]

The chief spoils is in line with the principle that the best belongs to God. The Jewish sacrifices were commanded to be "without blemish"; and the great king David was motivated by the principle that it would be wrong to offer to God that which cost him nothing (2 Samuel 24:24). The existence of the tithe as it pertains to the worship of God Most High is therefore in this place established as antecedent to Judaism, of which more will be said under Hebrews 7:8.