Greek word · G3521

νηστεία

nēsteia

fasting

Going without food, for any reason. That includes religious fasting (Luke 2:37; Acts 14:23), a fixed fast day (Acts 27:9, the Day of Atonement), and simply having nothing to eat. The related adjective nēstis is used of the hungry crowd in Mark 8:3, who were not fasting for religious reasons.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

νηστεία, -ας, ἡ

(νηστεύω), [in LXX for צוֹם ;]

fasting, a fast;

(a) of voluntary abstinence from food: Matthew 17:21 (WH, R, txt., om.), Mark 9:29 (WH, txt., R, txt., om.), Luke 2:37, Acts 14:23; of the Day of Atonement, Acts 27:9;

(b) of involuntary abstinence: 2 Corinthians 6:5 11:27.†

SYN.: ἀσιτία, q.v (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Corinthians 11:27

Range of meaning

Going without food, for any reason. That includes religious fasting (Luke 2:37; Acts 14:23), a fixed fast day (Acts 27:9, the Day of Atonement), and simply having nothing to eat. The related adjective nēstis is used of the hungry crowd in Mark 8:3, who were not fasting for religious reasons.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT have "fastings". BSB, ESV, NASB and NIV have "(often) without food". NLT has "gone without food".

How it drifted

In church English "fasting" means only a voluntary spiritual discipline. The Greek word was wider and also covered going without food because there was none.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek medical writers and everyday Greek use the nēst- words for an empty stomach in general. In 2 Corinthians 6:5 nēsteiai is again set among hardships done to Paul (beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights).

From the study of 2 Corinthians 6:5

Range of meaning

From nē-, "not," plus esthiō, "to eat." The word means going without food. In Jewish and Christian use it most often means a religious fast (Luke 2:37; Acts 14:23; 27:9 "the Fast," meaning the Day of Atonement). Its basic sense, however, is simply not eating, and it can mean hunger from circumstances.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT say "fastings," which to a modern reader means a chosen spiritual discipline. BSB, NIV, ESV and NASB say "hunger," which means going without food unwillingly. Each English choice settles a question the Greek leaves partly open.

How it drifted

Since the Middle Ages, "fasting" in English has meant almost only voluntary religious abstinence. That narrows a Greek word that could also describe simply going without meals.

Used elsewhere in the period

In 2 Cor 11:27 Paul writes "in hunger and thirst (en limō kai dipsei), in fastings often (en nēsteiais pollakis)." Because he puts nēsteia beside limos, the ordinary word for hunger, some argue the two mean different things. Acts 13:2–3 and 14:23 show Paul and his colleagues practising religious fasts.

From the study of Luke 2:37

Range of meaning

Going without food, usually for a set period, as a religious act. It could express mourning, repentance, humbling oneself before God, or intensified petition. The plural ("fasts") points to repeated observances.

Against the English

English "fasting" is accurate. The plural in the Greek ("with fasts") is lost when translations write "fasting," and the plural shows a regular pattern.

Used elsewhere in the period

Pious Jews of the period fasted regularly. The Pharisee in Luke 18:12 fasts "twice a week," and the Didache 8:1 (an early Christian manual, about AD 100) mentions Jews fasting on Mondays and Thursdays. Daniel joins fasting with petition for Jerusalem's restoration (Dan 9:3), and Judith fasts throughout her widowhood (Judith 8:6).

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 2:37 νηστείαις with fastings

    and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

    Here: Plural, "with fasts": repeated, regular fasts rather than one long fast. Here fasting goes with prayer as a form of humble, waiting devotion.

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 14:23 νηστειῶν fasting

    Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.

    Here: Plural, "fastings". This probably means repeated fasts, one in each town, or a period of fasting. In Jewish practice, going without food added seriousness to prayer at a decisive moment.

  2. Acts 27:9 νηστείαν Fast

    By now much time had passed, and the voyage had already become dangerous because it was after the Fast. So Paul advised them,

2 Corinthians · 2

  1. 2 Corinthians 6:5 νηστείαις, fastings,

    in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger;

    Here: Times of going without food. Scholars disagree whether Paul means religious fasts he chose or meals he missed because of poverty and pressure (see debates).

  2. 2 Corinthians 11:27 νηστείαις fastings

    in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.

    Here: "Times without food", plural. The word can mean a religious fast or simply missing meals. In this list of hardships it most likely means meals Paul had to skip, but that is disputed (see debates).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.