צוֹם (tsom)
tsom
fast
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 21 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun tsom refers to the act of fasting, specifically abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. Derived from the verb meaning "to fast," it appears twenty-one times in the Old Testament, often linked with sackcloth and mourning as a sign of humility before God. The term covers both voluntary acts of devotion and communal responses to crisis, such as when King David fasts for his sick child (2 Samuel 12:16) or when the people of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s warning (Jonah 3:5).
A key distinction in its usage is found in Isaiah 58, where God critiques empty ritual. The prophet asks if a fast like Isaiah 58:5—simply lowering one’s head—is truly what God desires. Instead, the text defines the fast as loosening the bonds of wickedness and sharing bread with the hungry. This shifts the focus from physical deprivation to ethical action and justice, showing that tsom is not merely about hunger but about reorienting the heart toward God and neighbor.
The word also appears in Zechariah 8:19, where fasting days will turn into joy and gladness when God restores Zion. This future hope contrasts with the mourning of exile, suggesting that fasting is a temporary practice for repentance or petition, not an end in itself. Translators consistently render tsom as "fast" or "fasting," preserving its straightforward meaning while allowing the context to reveal whether the act leads to judgment, deliverance, or celebration.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word tsom points to a physical act with spiritual weight: abstaining from food to seek God. In the Old Testament, this practice often accompanied deep sorrow or urgent prayer, such as when David fasted for his sick child or when Nineveh turned from its ways in response to Jonah’s warning. It is a tangible way of saying that our need for God outweighs our need for sustenance.
Yet Scripture also challenges us to look beyond the hunger itself. In Isaiah 58, God asks if merely bowing one’s head is enough. The true fast He chooses involves loosening the bonds of wickedness and sharing bread with the hungry. This shifts the focus from self-denial alone to active love for others. Fasting becomes a means of reorienting our hearts toward justice and mercy.
Even in times of mourning, this practice points toward hope. Zechariah reminds us that days of fasting will one day turn into joy when God restores His people. For now, we use these moments to humble ourselves before the Lord, trusting that He hears our prayers and cares for our deepest needs.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 21 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- a fast10×
- and/ [the] fast of3×
- with/ fasting2×
- [the] fast2×
- with <the>/ fasting1×
- the/ fasts1×
- from/ fasting1×
- fasting/ your1×
- fasting1×
- and/ with/ fasting1×
- and/ fasting1×
- [the] fast of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- צוֹם֙3×
- צ֣וֹם3×
- צ֔וֹם3×
- צ֖וֹם2×
- צ֑וֹם2×
- וְ/צ֣וֹם2×
- צֹֽמְ/כֶם֙1×
- צ֜וֹם1×
- מִ/צּ֑וֹם1×
- וּ/בְ/צ֥וֹם1×
- וְ/צ֨וֹם1×
- וְ/צ֥וֹם1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 58:6
“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
This verse defines the fast God chooses as releasing the oppressed and breaking every yoke, linking spiritual discipline directly to social justice.
-
Jonah 3:5
The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least.
Here the entire city of Nineveh, from greatest to least, proclaims a fast, showing how communal repentance can lead to divine mercy.
-
Esther 4:3
In every province, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
This occurrence highlights fasting as a response to existential crisis, where mourning and sackcloth accompany the plea for deliverance.
-
Zechariah 8:19
Yahweh of Armies says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.”
The prophet looks forward to a time when these solemn fasts will transform into joyful feasts, offering hope for future restoration.