From Nave’s Topical Bible
Fasting
Every passage the 1896 Nave’s Topical Biblegathers under this heading, in Nave’s own arrangement and then in Bible order. MannaFest has not written this page — it is the older index, transcribed, with the Word travelling beside each reference.
- 63Passages listed
- 24Books of the 66
- 1896Nave's edition
How Nave’s arranged it
- Observed on occasions of public calamities2 Samuel 1:12
- AfflictionsPsalms 35:13Daniel 6:18
- Private afflictions2 Samuel 12:16
- Approaching dangerEsther 4:16
- Ordination of ministersActs 13:3Acts 14:23
- Accompanied by prayerDaniel 9:3
- Confession of sin1 Samuel 7:6Nehemiah 9:1Nehemiah 9:2
- HumiliationDeuteronomy 9:18Nehemiah 9:1
- During forty days
- MosesDeuteronomy 9:9Deuteronomy 9:18
- JesusMatthew 4:1Matthew 4:2Mark 1:12Mark 1:13Luke 4:1Luke 4:2
- Habitual
Show the rest of Nave’s outline (41 more headings) ▾
- By John's disciplesMatthew 9:14
- By AnnaLuke 2:37
- By PhariseesMatthew 9:14Mark 2:18Luke 18:12
- By CorneliusActs 10:30
- By Paul2 Corinthians 6:52 Corinthians 11:27
- In times of bereavement
- Of the people of Jabesh-gilead, for Saul and his sons1 Samuel 31:131 Chronicles 10:12
- Of David, at the time of Saul's death2 Samuel 1:12
- Of Abner's death2 Samuel 3:35
- Prolonged
- For three weeks, by DanielDaniel 10:2Daniel 10:3
- For forty days, by MosesExodus 24:18Exodus 34:28Deuteronomy 9:9Deuteronomy 9:18
- Elijah1 Kings 19:8
- JesusMatthew 4:2
- See Humiliation
- See Humility
- UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TOEzra 8:21–23Psalms 35:13Psalms 69:10Isaiah 58:3–7Jeremiah 14:12Daniel 10:3Joel 1:14Joel 2:12Joel 2:13Zechariah 7:5Zechariah 8:19Matthew 6:16–18Matthew 9:14Matthew 9:15Matthew 17:21Acts 27:9Acts 27:33Acts 27:341 Corinthians 7:5
- INSTANCES OF
- Of the Israelites
- In the conflict between the other tribes with the tribe of Benjamin, on account of the wrong suffered by a Levite's concubineJudges 20:26
- When they went to Mizpeh for the ark of the covenant1 Samuel 7:6
- Of David
- Upon the death of Saul2 Samuel 1:12
- During the sickness of the child born to him by Bath-sheba2 Samuel 12:16–22
- While interceding in prayer for his friendsPsalms 35:13
- In his zeal for ZionPsalms 69:10
- In prayer for himself and his adversariesPsalms 109:4Psalms 109:24
- Of Ahab, when Elijah prophesied the destruction of himself and his house with 20:291 Kings 21:27
- Of Jehoshaphat, at the time of the invasion of the confederated armies of the Canaanites and Syrians2 Chronicles 20:3
- Of Ezra, on account of the idolatrous marriages of the JewsEzra 10:6
- Of Nehemiah, on account of the desolation of Jerusalem and the templeNehemiah 1:4
- Of the Jews, when Jeremiah prophesied against Judea and JerusalemJeremiah 36:9
- In Babylon, with prayer for divine deliverance and guidanceEzra 8:21Ezra 8:23
- Of Darius, when he put Daniel in the lions' denDaniel 6:18
- Of Daniel
- On account of the captivity of the people, with prayer for their deliveranceDaniel 9:3
- At the time of his visionDaniel 10:1–3
- Ninevites, when Jonah preached to themJonah 3:5–10
- By Paul, at the time of his conversionActs 9:9
- Of the disciples, at the time of the consecration of Barnabas and SaulActs 13:2Acts 13:3
- Of the consecration of the eldersActs 14:23
The passages, in Bible order (63)
The same references, sorted Genesis to Revelation. The first 16 are quoted in full; the rest are one click beneath them, book by book.
- Exodus 24:18
Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Commentary on Exodus 24:182 voices
If, then, any one desires to see this Image of God, he must love God, that he may be loved by God; and be no longer a servant but a friend, because he has kept the commandments of God, that he may enter into the cloud where God is.
Ambrose of Milan· On the Decease of His Brother Satyrus 2.110Patristic
Forty days and forty nights - During the whole of this time he neither ate bread nor drank water; see Exo 34:28; Deu 9:9. Both his body and soul were so sustained by the invigorating presence of God, that he needed no earthly support, and this may be the simple reason why he took none. Elijah fasted forty days and forty nights, sustained by the same influence, 1Ki 19:8; as did likewise our blessed Lord, when he was about to commence the public ministry of his own Gospel, Mat 4:2.
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the BibleEvangelical
- Exodus 34:28
So Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.
Commentary on Exodus 34:281 voice
The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, neither the abundance nor delicacy of food, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. As Moses, so Elijah and Christ, fasted forty days and forty nights. The more dead we are to the delights of sense the better prepared we are for the pleasures of heaven.
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710Puritan
- Deuteronomy 9:9
When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I ate no bread and drank no water.
Commentary on Deuteronomy 9:91 voice
Every form of nourishment is called "bread" in the Scriptures. This is clear from what is written concerning Moses: for forty days he neither ate "bread" nor drank water. The word that nourishes is multidimensional and varied. Not everyone can receive the solid and strong nourishment of God's teachings. Therefore, wishing to give an athlete's nourishment suitable to the more perfect, [Christ] says, "The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Origen of Alexandria· ON PRAYER 27.4Patristic
- Deuteronomy 9:18
Then I fell down before the LORD for forty days and forty nights, as I had done the first time. I did not eat bread or drink water because of all the sin you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD and provoking Him to anger.
Commentary on Deuteronomy 9:181 voice
I fell down before the Lord, as at the first - Moses interceded for the people before he came down from the mountain the first time Exo 32:11-13. This intercession is only briefly alluded to in this verse. Afterward he spent another 40 days on the mountain in fasting and prayer to obtain a complete restitution of the covenant Exo 34:28. It is this second forty days, and the intercession of Moses made therein (compare Exo 34:9), that is more particularly brought forward here and in Deu 9:25-29.
Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)Evangelical
- Judges 20:26
Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.
Commentary on Judges 20:261 voice
And wept - Had they humbled themselves, fasted, and prayed, and offered sacrifices at first, they had not been discomfited. And fasted that day until even - This is the first place where fasting is mentioned as a religious ceremony, or as a means of obtaining help from God. And in this case, and many since, it has been powerfully effectual. At present it is but little used; a strong proof that self-denial is wearing out of fashion.
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the BibleEvangelical
- 1 Samuel 7:6
When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.
Commentary on 1 Samuel 7:62 voices
Poured it out - As an external sign, whereby they testified, both their own filthiness and need of washing by the grace and Spirit of God, and blood of the covenant, and their sincere desire to pour out their hearts before the Lord, in true repentance, and to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament, 1765Evangelical
Israel in Mizpeh--At the time of Eli's death he could not have much exceeded twenty years of age; and although his character and position must have given him great influence, it does not appear that hitherto he had done more than prophets were wont to do. Now he entered on the duties of a civil magistrate. WHILE SAMUEL PRAYS, THE PHILISTINES ARE DISCOMFITED.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871Reformed
- 1 Samuel 31:13
Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
Commentary on 1 Samuel 31:132 voices
And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh,.... For though they burned the bodies, yet so as to preserve the bones; and these, together with the ashes of the parts burnt, they gathered up, and buried under a tree near this city; this tree is said to be an oak, 1Ch 10:12; so Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, was buried under an oak, Gen 35:
John Gill· Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)Reformed
Under a tree - Rather, “Under the tamarisk,” a well-known tree at Jabesh which was standing when this narrative was written. They fasted seven days - In imitation of the mourning for Jacob (marginal reference). They would give full honor to Saul though he was fallen.
Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)Evangelical
- 2 Samuel 1:12
They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
Commentary on 2 Samuel 1:121 voice
For Saul ... - David’s thoroughly patriotic and unselfish character is strongly marked here. He looked upon the death of Saul, and the defeat of Israel by a pagan foe, with unmixed sorrow, though it opened to him the way to the throne, and removed his mortal enemy out of the way. For Jonathan he mourned with all the tenderness of a loving friend.
Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)Evangelical
- 2 Samuel 3:35
Then all the people came and urged David to eat something while it was still day, but David took an oath, saying, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”
- 2 Samuel 12:16
David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
Commentary on 2 Samuel 12:162 voices
David - besought God for the child - How could he do so, after the solemn assurance that he had from God that the child should die? The justice of God absolutely required that the penalty of the law should be exacted; either the father or the son shall die. This could not be reversed.
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the BibleEvangelical
Nathan had told him that certainly the child should die; yet, while it is in the reach of prayer, he earnestly intercedes with God for it, chiefly (as we may suppose) that its soul might be safe and happy in another world, and that his sin might not come against the child, and that it might not fare the worse for that in the future state.
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710Puritan
- 1 Kings 19:8
So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
Commentary on 1 Kings 19:81 voice
Forty days and forty nights - So he fasted just the same time as Moses did at Horeb, and as Christ did in the wilderness.
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the BibleEvangelical
- 1 Kings 21:27
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.
Commentary on 1 Kings 21:272 voices
The repentance of Ahab resembles that of the Ninevites Jon 3:5. It has the same outward signs - fasting and sackcloth - and it has much the same inward character. It springs, not from love, nor from hatred of sin, but from fear of the consequences of sin. It is thus, although sincere and real while it lasts, shallow and exceedingly short-lived.
Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)Evangelical
Going softly, that is, barefoot, and with a pensive manner, within doors. He manifested all the external signs, conventional and natural, of the deepest sorrow. He was wretched, and so great is the mercy of God, that, in consequence of his humiliation, the threatened punishment was deferred.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871Reformed
- 1 Chronicles 10:12
all their men of valor set out and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
- 2 Chronicles 20:3
Jehoshaphat was alarmed and set his face to seek the LORD. And he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 20:31 voice
General fasts had been previously observed by the Israelites (e. g. Jdg 20:26; 1Sa 7:6); but we do not hear of any fast having been “proclaimed” by authority before this.
Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)Evangelical
- Ezra 8:21–23
And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.
Commentary on Ezra 8:21–231 voice
Therefore he resolved that his followers should, by a solemn act of fasting and prayer, commit themselves to the Keeper of Israel. Their faith, considering the many and constant perils of a journey across the Bedouin regions, must have been great, and it was rewarded by the enjoyment of perfect safety during the whole way.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871Reformed
- Ezra 8:23
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.
Commentary on Ezra 8:231 voice
So we fasted, and besought our God for this,.... Sought the Lord by fasting and prayer for a good journey, and preservation in it: and he was entreated of us; accepted their prayer, as Jarchi, so that they came safe to Jerusalem.
John Gill· Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)Reformed
Show the other 47 passages, book by book ▾
Ezra1
Nehemiah3
Esther1
Isaiah1
Jeremiah2
Jonah1
Zechariah2
1 Corinthians1
2 Corinthians2