tsum · fast

What it means

tsum (צוּם) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “fast”.

Go without food for a time, as a sign of grief or to seek God.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To go without food for a time to seek God.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• fasted ×12
• fast ×8
• fasting ×1

Where it appears

• Judges×1
• 1 Samuel×2
• 2 Samuel×5
• 1 Kings×1
• 1 Chronicles×1
• Ezra×1
• Nehemiah×1
• Esther×2
• Isaiah×3
• Jeremiah×1
• Zechariah×3

• Judges 20:26

  Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept, and they sat there before YHWH and fasted on that day until evening, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before YHWH.

• 1 Samuel 7:6

  So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before YHWH, and they fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against YHWH.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

• 1 Samuel 31:13

  They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

• 2 Samuel 1:12

  They lamented and wept and fasted until the evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of YHWH and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

• 2 Samuel 12:16

  David sought Elohim for the boy; David fasted a fast, and he went in and spent the night and lay on the ground.

• 2 Samuel 12:21

  His servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? For the sake of the child, while he was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you rose and ate bread.”

• 2 Samuel 12:22

  He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether YHWH will show me favor, and the child will live?’

• 2 Samuel 12:23

  But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I am going to him, but he will not return to me.”

• 1 Kings 21:27

  And it happened, when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted; and he lay in the sackcloth and went about slowly.

• 1 Chronicles 10:12

  and all the valiant men arose and took away the corpse of Saul and the corpses of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh; and they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

• Ezra 8:23

  So we fasted and sought from our Elohim concerning this, and he let himself be entreated by us.

• Nehemiah 1:4

  And when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the Elohim of the heavens.

• Esther 4:16

  “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Susa, and fast for me, and do not eat and do not drink for three days, night and day. I also and my young women will fast in the same way; and so I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

• Isaiah 58:3

  ‘Why have we fasted, and you did not see? Why have we humbled our soul, and you do not know?’ Look, on the day of your fast you find your desire, and you oppress all your workers.

• Isaiah 58:4

  Look, for strife and contention you fast, and to strike with a fist of wickedness; do not fast as you do today to make your voice heard on high.

• Jeremiah 14:12

  When they fast, I am not listening to their cry; and when they offer up burnt offering and grain offering, I do not accept them; but by the sword and by famine and by pestilence I am consuming them.”

• Zechariah 7:5

  “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, saying, When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh, and this for seventy years, did you truly fast for me, for me?

And 4 more times.