3521. nésteia

Strong's Lexicon

nésteia: Fasting

Original Word: νηστεία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: nésteia
Pronunciation: nay-STI-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (nace-ti'-ah)
Definition: Fasting
Meaning: fasting, the day of atonement.

Word Origin: From the Greek verb νηστεύω (nésteuō), meaning "to fast."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - H6684 (צוּם, tsûm): To fast, to abstain from food.

Usage: The term "nésteia" refers to the practice of abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. In the New Testament, fasting is often associated with prayer, repentance, and seeking God's guidance. It is a voluntary act of devotion and humility before God, demonstrating dependence on Him rather than on physical sustenance.

Cultural and Historical Background: In Jewish tradition, fasting was a common practice, often observed during times of mourning, repentance, or seeking divine intervention. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was a mandated fast in the Jewish calendar. In the Greco-Roman world, fasting was also practiced for religious and philosophical reasons. Early Christians continued the practice of fasting, seeing it as a way to draw closer to God and to prepare for significant spiritual events.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from nésteuó
Definition
fasting, a fast
NASB Translation
fast (1), fasting (2), fastings (1), hunger (1), without food (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3521: νηστεία

νηστεία, νηστείας, ἡ (νηστεύω, which see), a fasting, fast, i. e. abstinence from food, and a. voluntary, as a religious exercise: of private fasting, Matthew 17:21 (T WH omit; Tr brackets the verse); Mark 9:29 (T WH omit; Tr marginal reading brackets); Luke 2:37; Acts 14:23; 1 Corinthians 7:5 Rec. of the public fast prescribed by the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 16:29ff; 23:27ff (BB. DD. under the word , and for references to Strabo, Philo, Josephus, Plutarch, see Sophocles' Lexicon, under the word, 1)) and kept yearly on the great day of atonement, the tenth of the month Tisri: Acts 27:9 (the month Tisri comprises a part of our September and October (cf. B. D. under the word (at end)); the fast, accordingly, occurred in the autumn, ἡ χειμέριος ὥρα, when navigation was usually dangerous on account of storms, as was the case with the voyage referred to).

b. a fasting to which one is driven by want: 2 Corinthians 6:5; 2 Corinthians 11:27; (Hippocrates, Aristotle, Philo, Josephus, Plutarch, Aelian, Athen., others; the Sept. for צום).

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

fasting.

From nesteuo; abstinence (from lack of food, or voluntary and religious); specially, the fast of the Day of Atonement -- fast(-ing).

see GREEK nesteuo

Forms and Transliterations

νηστεια νηστεία νηστείᾳ νηστειαις νηστείαις νηστειαν νηστείαν νηστείας νηστειων νηστειών νηστειῶν nesteia nēsteia nesteíāi nēsteíāi nesteiais nesteíais nēsteiais nēsteíais nesteian nesteían nēsteian nēsteían nesteion nesteiôn nēsteiōn nēsteiō̂n

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 17:21 Noun-DFS
GRK: προσευχῇ καὶ νηστείᾳ
KJV: prayer and fasting.
INT: prayer and fasting

Luke 2:37 N-DFP
GRK: τοῦ ἱεροῦ νηστείαις καὶ δεήσεσιν
NAS: and day with fastings and prayers.
KJV: but served [God] with fastings and
INT: the temple with fastings and prayers

Acts 14:23 N-GFP
GRK: προσευξάμενοι μετὰ νηστειῶν παρέθεντο αὐτοὺς
NAS: having prayed with fasting, they commended
KJV: with fasting, they commended
INT: having prayed with fasting they committed them

Acts 27:9 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ τὴν νηστείαν ἤδη παρεληλυθέναι
NAS: since even the fast was already over,
KJV: dangerous, because the fast was now
INT: also the fast already had passed

2 Corinthians 6:5 N-DFP
GRK: ἀγρυπνίαις ἐν νηστείαις
NAS: in sleeplessness, in hunger,
KJV: watchings, in fastings;
INT: watchings in fastings

2 Corinthians 11:27 N-DFP
GRK: δίψει ἐν νηστείαις πολλάκις ἐν
NAS: often without food, in cold
KJV: thirst, in fastings often, in
INT: thirst in fastings often in

Strong's Greek 3521
6 Occurrences

νηστείᾳ — 1 Occ.
νηστείαις — 3 Occ.
νηστείαν — 1 Occ.
νηστειῶν — 1 Occ.