Lexical Summary
tsom: Fast, fasting
Original Word:צוֹם
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:tsowm
Pronunciation:tsohm
Phonetic Spelling:(tsome)
KJV: fast(-ing)
NASB:fast, fasting, times of fasting
Word Origin:[fromH6684 (צּוּם - fasted)]
1. a fast
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fasting
Or tsom {tsome}; from fromtsuwm; a fast -- fast(-ing).
see HEBREWtsuwm
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
tsumDefinitionfasting, a fast
NASB Translationfast (17), fasted* (1), fasting (7), times of fasting (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Isaiah 58:5 ; — absolute
2 Samuel 12:16 +, construct
Zechariah 8:19 (4 t.); suffix
Isaiah 58:3; plural
Esther 9:31; —
fast, as accusative of congnate meaning with verb
2 Samuel 12:16; public observance
1 Kings 21:9,12; 2Chronicles 20:3;
Ezra 8:21;
Jeremiah 36:9;
Jonah 3:5 (all object of
proclaim), compare
Joel 1:14;
Joel 2:15 (both object of );
Jeremiah 36:6,
Isaiah 58:3, compare
Isaiah 58:5 ("" ),
Isaiah 58:5;
Isaiah 58:6; of periodic fasts
Zechariah 8:19 (4 t. in verse);
Esther 9:31; act or state of fasting,
Nehemiah 9:1 compare
Joel 2:12;
Daniel 9:3;
Esther 4:3;
Psalm 35:13; compare
Psalm 69:11 (on see Che Bae); causing physical weakness
Psalm 109:24.
(√ of following; compare Arabic
form, fashion).
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Spiritual Essenceצוֹם denotes a deliberate abstention from food (and sometimes water) for a set period in order to humble oneself before God, intensify prayer, express grief, or seek divine intervention. It is never presented as asceticism for its own sake but as worship that directs the heart toward the LORD.
Canonical Distribution
About twenty-six uses span every major section of the Old Testament—from Judges to Zechariah—showing that fasting remained a recognized spiritual discipline from the early tribal period through the post-exilic community.
The Day of Atonement: The Appointed Fast
While צוֹם itself is not used in Leviticus, Jewish tradition calls the Day of Atonement “the Fast,” reflecting the command to “afflict yourselves” (Leviticus 16:29). This annual fast became the paradigm: self-denial accompanying confession and atonement.
National and Corporate Fasts
1. Crisis and Warfare: Israel fasted at Mizpah when threatened by Philistines (1 Samuel 7:6) and before renewing battle with Benjamin (Judges 20:26). The fast signified total dependence on divine aid.
2. Mourning a Fallen King: After Saul’s death, “they fasted seven days” (1 Samuel 31:13).
3. Exilic and Post-exilic Penitence: Ezra proclaimed “a fast...that we might humble ourselves before our God” (Ezra 8:21).Nehemiah 9:1 reports a corporate fast with sackcloth and dust in national confession.
4. Prophetic Institutions: Zechariah refers to “the fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months” (Zechariah 8:19), dates tied to Jerusalem’s siege and fall, later destined to become “joyous and glad occasions.”
Personal Fasting as Humility and Prayer
David “pleaded with God for the child” and “fasted” (2 Samuel 12:16); inPsalm 35:13 he testifies, “I humbled myself with fasting.” Such individual fasts arise from crisis, repentance, or intense intercession. The practice is not mechanical but relational: “I wept and chastened my soul with fasting” (Psalm 69:10).
Prophetic Corrections Against Empty Ritual
Isaiah 58 exposes a fast divorced from righteousness:
“Is this not the fast that I choose: to break the chains of wickedness… to set the oppressed free…?” (Isaiah 58:6).
Jeremiah warns, “Though they fast, I will not listen to their cry” (Jeremiah 14:12), underscoring that unrepentant hearts render fasting ineffectual.
Fasting in Times of Repentance and Restoration
Joel summons Judah: “Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning” (Joel 2:12). Jonah records Nineveh’s city-wide fast: “They proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth” (Jonah 3:5). In both narratives, fasting signifies urgent repentance and invites divine mercy.
From Shadow to Substance: Anticipations of the Gospel
Old Testament fasting typologically points to deeper realities—sorrow for sin, yearning for atonement, and the ultimate deliverance secured in Christ. Zechariah’s promise that fasts will turn into feasts anticipates the Gospel, where mourning gives way to joy through the finished work of the Messiah (cf.Matthew 9:15).
Continued Relevance for New Testament Believers
Though not legislated, fasting remains a voluntary discipline commended by the Lord Jesus and practiced by the early church (Acts 13:2–3; 14:23). The Old Testament witness supplies theological foundations: humility, repentance, earnest prayer, and alignment with God’s purposes.
Practical Ministry Implications
• Encourage congregational fasts during pivotal decisions or crises, following Ezra’s pattern.
• Teach that fasting must accompany justice, mercy, and obedience, embodying Isaiah’s ideal.
• Use historical fasts as precedents for evangelistic repentance campaigns (Jonah).
• On the Day of Atonement, highlight Christ’s atoning fulfillment while retaining a call to sober reflection.
• Integrate fasting with benevolence, directing saved resources to “share your bread with the hungry” (Isaiah 58:7).
In every age צוֹם serves as a God-ordained means to deepen devotion, cultivate humility, and seek the gracious intervention of the Lord of covenant and redemption.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּצ֖וֹם בְּצ֣וֹם בַצּ֣וֹם בצום הַצֹּמ֖וֹת הצמות וְצ֣וֹם וְצ֥וֹם וְצ֨וֹם וּבְצ֥וֹם ובצום וצום מִצּ֑וֹם מצום צ֑וֹם צ֔וֹם צ֖וֹם צ֜וֹם צ֣וֹם צֹֽמְכֶם֙ צוֹם֙ צום צמכם ḇaṣ·ṣō·wm ḇaṣṣōwm bə·ṣō·wm bəṣōwm beTzom haṣ·ṣō·mō·wṯ haṣṣōmōwṯ hatztzoMot miṣ·ṣō·wm miṣṣōwm mitzTzom ṣō·mə·ḵem ṣō·wm ṣōməḵem ṣōwm Tzom tzomeChem ū·ḇə·ṣō·wm ūḇəṣōwm uveTzom vatzTzom veTzom wə·ṣō·wm wəṣōwm
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