To fast
νηστεύωStrong’s G3522nēsteuō
Appears in 16 verses of the New Testament
In short
Nēsteuō is the Greek word usually translated “fasting”, “fast” and “having fasted”. It appears in 16 verses of the New Testament.
“And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.”
Meaning
Usually translated “fasting”, “fast” and “having fasted”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- fasting 6
- fast 4
- they will fast 3
- to fast 3
- having fasted 2
- you may fast 1
- do fast 1
- i fast 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Matthew 6
- Luke 4
- Mark 3
- Acts 3
4 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Matthew 6:16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
- Matthew 6:17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
- Matthew 6:18That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
- Matthew 9:14Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
- Matthew 9:15And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber 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.
- Mark 2:18And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
Greek dictionary
νηστεύω nēsteuō · to fast
νηστεύω (νῆστις), [in LXX for צוּם ;] to fast (Arist., Aristoph., al.): Mat.4:2 6:16-18 9:14-15 Mrk.2:18-20, Luk.5:33-35 18:12, Act.13:2-3.† (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “fast” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
F'AST, adjective
- Literally, set, stopped, fixed, or pressed close.
- Firm; immovable.“Who by his strength, setteth fast the mountains” Psalms 65:6
- Close; strong.
- Firmly fixed; closely adhering; as, to stick fast in more; to make fast a rope.
All definitions and other forms of “fast”
- Close, as sleep; deep; sound; as a fast sleep.
- Firm in adherence; as a fast friend.
F'AST, adverb
Firmly; immovably.
- “We will bind thee fast and deliver thee into their hand” Judges 15:13
F'AST, adjective
[Latin festino. The sense is to press, drive, urge, and it may be from the same root as the preceding word, with a different application.]
F'AST, adverb
Swiftly; rapidly; with quick steps or progression; as, to run fast; to move fast through the water, as a ship; the work goes on fast
F'AST, verb intransitive
- To abstain from food, beyond the usual time; to omit to take the usual meals, for a time; as, to fast a day or a week.
- To abstain from food voluntarily, for the mortification of the body or appetites, or as a token of grief, sorrow and affliction.“Thou didst fast and weep for the child” 2 Samuel 12:21“When ye fast be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance” Matthew 6:16
- To abstain from food partially, or from particular kinds of food; as, the Catholics fast in Lent.
F'AST, noun
- Abstinence from food; properly a total abstinence, but it is used also for an abstinence from particular kinds of food, for a certain time.
- Voluntary abstinence from food, as a religious mortification or humiliation; either total or partial abstinence from customary food, with a view to mortify the appetites, or to express grief and affliction on account of some calamity, or to deprecate an expected evil.
- The time of fasting, whether a day, week or longer time.“The fast was now already past” Acts 27:9
F'AST, noun
That which fastens or holds.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.