FASTING

DEFINITION

Hebrew:     tsom =         a fast, fasting

                   tsum =        to fast

                   tevath =       fasting

Greek:        asitos =       fasting, without food

nesteo =      to fast

          nesteuo =    fasting

          nesteia=      a fasting, fast

          nestis =       fasting, not eating

OLD TESTAMENT

Judges 20:26 “Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted (tsum) that day until even (1 day fast), and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.”

I Samuel 7:6 “And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted (tsum) on that day (1 day fast), and said there, we have sinned against the Lord.  And samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.”

I Samuel 31:13 “And they took their bones (Saul and sons), and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted (tsum) seven days (7 day fast).”

II Samuel 1:12 “And they mourned, and wept, and fasted (tsum) until even (1 day fast), for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.”

II Samuel 12:16 “David, therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted (tsom), and went in, and lay all night (1 night fast) upon the earth.”

II Samuel 12:21-23 “Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done?  Thou didst fast (tsum) and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.  And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted (tsum) and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?  But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast?  Can I bring him back again?  I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

I Kings 21:27 “And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted (tsum), and he lay in sackcloth, and went softly.  And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbit, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me?  Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his sons’s days will I bring the evil upon his house. ”

I Chronicles 10:12 “They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak of Jabesh, and fasted (tsum) seven days (7 day fast).”

II Chronicles 20:3 “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast (tsom) throughout all Judah.”

Ezra 8:21, 23 “Then I proclaimed a fast (tsom) there, at the river of  Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.”

Nehemiah 1:4 “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted (tsum), and prayed before the God of heaven.”

Nehemiah 9:1 “Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting (tsom), and with sack clothes, and earth upon them.”

Esther 4:15-16 “Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast (tsum) ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day (3 day/night fast): I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

Psalms 35:13 “But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting (tsom); and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.”

Psalms 69:10 “When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting (tsom), that was to my reproach.”

Psalms 109:24 “My knees are weak through fasting (tsom); and my flesh faileth of fatness.”

Isaiah 58:3-5, 6 “Wherefore have we fasted (tsom), say they, and we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?  Behold, in the day of your fast (tsom) ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors.  Is it such a fast (tsom) that I have chosen?  A day for man to afflict his soul?  Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?  Wilt thou call this a fast (tsom), and an acceptable day to the Lord?  Is not this the fast (tsom) that I have chosen?  To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?”

Jeremiah 14:12 “When they fast (tsum), I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.”

Jeremiah 36:6, 9 “Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the Lord in the ears of the people in the Lord’s house upon the fasting (tsom) day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.  And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast (tsom) before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.”

Daniel 6:18 “Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting (tevath): neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him.”

Daniel 9:3 “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting (tsom), and sackcloth, and ashes:”

Joel 1:14 “Sanctify ye a fast (tsom), call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord.”

Joel 2:12-13, 15 “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting (tsom), and with weeping, and with mourning.  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth  him of the evil. Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast (tsom), call a solemn assembly:”

Jonah 3:4-5 “And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.  So the people of Nineveh believed god, and proclaimed a fast (tsom), and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”

Zechariah 7:5 “Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted (tsum) and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast (tsum) unto me, even to me?”

Zechariah 8:19 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast (tsom) of the fourth month, and the fast (tsom) of the fifth, and the fast (tsom) of the seventh, and the fast (tsom) of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.”

NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew 4:1-2“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be temped of the devil.  And when he had fasted (nesteuo) forty days and forty nights (40 days/nights fast), he was afterward an hungered.”

Matthew 6:16-18 “Moreover when ye fast (nesteuo), be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast (nesteuo).  Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.  But thou, when thou fastest (nesteuo), anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast (nesteuo), but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

Matthew 9:14-15 “Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast (nesteuo) oft, but thy disciples fast (nesteuo) not?  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast (nesteuo).”

Matthew 15:32 “Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting (nestis), lest they faint in the way.”

Matthew 17:21 “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting (nesteia).”

Mark 2:18-20 “And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast (nesteuo): and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast (nesteuo), but thy disciples fast (nesteuo) not?  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber fast (nesteuo), while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast (nesteuo).  But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast (nesteuo) in those days.”

Mark 8:3 “And if I send them away fasting (nestis) to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.”

Luke 2:36-38 “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years,, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings (nesteia) and prayers night and day.  And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

Luke 5:33-35 “And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast (nesteuo) often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?  And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the fast (nesteuo), while the bridegroom is with them?   But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast (nesteuo) in those days.”

Luke 18:12 “I fast (nesteuo) twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”

Acts 10:30 “And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting (nesteuo) until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.”

Acts 13:2-4 “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted (nesteuo), the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.  And when they had fasted (nesteuo) and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.  So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.”

Acts 14:23 “And when they (Barnabas and Saul) had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting (nesteia), they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”

Acts 27:21 “But after long abstinence (asitos) Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.”

I Corinthians 7:5 “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting (nesteia) and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.”

II Corinthians 6:5 “In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fasting (nesteia);”

II Corinthians 11:27 “In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings (nesteia) often, in cold and nakedness.”