νηστεύω
I fast
Definition
νηστεύω means to fast, to abstain from food for a religious or spiritual purpose. In the New Testament, it primarily denotes the voluntary practice of refraining from eating, often as an act of devotion, repentance, or seeking God's guidance. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus assumes his followers will fast but instructs them to do so with a sincere heart, not for public show. A distinct nuance appears in Matthew 9:15, where Jesus describes a time when his disciples will fast after he is taken away, linking fasting to a period of mourning or longing.
Biblical Usage
The verb is used 16 times, predominantly in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and once in Acts 13:2-3. It consistently describes the religious practice of fasting, often in contexts contrasting the practices of Jesus's disciples with those of John the Baptist's followers or the Pharisees (e.g., Matthew 9:14, Mark 2:18). The usage in Acts 13 shows fasting as part of corporate worship and seeking divine direction before commissioning missionaries.
Etymology
Derived from the adjective νῆστις (nēstis), meaning 'fasting' or 'hungry.' The root relates to the negation of eating. The practice and term were well-established in Greek and Jewish religious contexts long before the New Testament.
Semantic Range
Fasting (νηστεύω) is a significant spiritual discipline that expresses humility, dependence on God, and earnest prayer. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6 reframes it from an external ritual to an internal posture of the heart before God. Understanding this Greek term highlights that biblical fasting is not merely physical abstinence but is intrinsically tied to one's spiritual focus and relationship with God.
In the first-century Jewish world, fasting was a common religious practice, often associated with days of atonement, mourning, or penitence (e.g., the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16:29-31). The Pharisees practiced voluntary fasts twice a week (Luke 18:12). Jesus' instructions in Matthew 6 address the temptation to use this pious act for gaining social reputation, contrasting a performative culture with genuine devotion.
ἀσιτέω (asiteō, G777) — to abstain from food, often with a stronger emphasis on refusing to eat or being without food, sometimes in contexts of distress rather than religious ritual.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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