What does νηστεία (nēsteía) mean in the Bible?
Nesteia refers to being without food, whether through a deliberate fast or the deprivation described by a particular setting. Anna's fasting accompanies worship and prayer as she waits for redemption.
Greek · G3521
νηστεία
Nesteia refers to being without food, whether through a deliberate fast or the deprivation described by a particular setting. Anna's fasting accompanies worship and prayer as she waits for redemption.
Reading a lexicon entry
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νηστείαG3521
Pronunciationnēsteía
What does νηστεία (nēsteía) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for νηστεία (G3521) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3521?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include fasting (2), [and] hunger (1), Fast (1), without food (1).
Where does νηστεία (nēsteía) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 2:37. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (2), Acts (2), Luke (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Nesteia refers to being without food, whether through a deliberate fast or the deprivation described by a particular setting. Anna's fasting accompanies worship and prayer as she waits for redemption. Paul and Barnabas pray and fast while entrusting newly appointed elders to the Lord. Acts also uses the Fast as a calendar marker in its account of a dangerous voyage.
Paul's hardship lists, however, speak of hunger and often being without food; these cannot simply become commands for readers to reproduce his deprivation. The word invites careful attention to worship, dependence and suffering. It supplies no measure of a person's holiness by the length of time spent hungry. Food deprivation, coercive fasting and pressure on a vulnerable person do not become faithful merely by receiving a religious label.
How the Bible Uses It
The five current-edition BSB witnesses include Anna's devotion, prayer at elder appointment, a named calendrical fast and two hardship lists. The difference between chosen abstinence and unwanted hunger comes from these contexts, not from counting the noun alone.
- Luke.2.37
And then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Anna's fasting belongs to a life of prayer and expectant worship that culminates in thanks and testimony about the child.
- Acts.14.23
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.
Prayer and fasting accompany entrusted church leadership; the narrative centers trust in the Lord rather than a hunger-based qualification.
- Acts.27.9
By now much time had passed, and the voyage had already become dangerous because it was after the Fast. So Paul advised them,
The named Fast marks the late stage of the voyage, explaining dangerous conditions without prescribing a fasting method for travelers.
- 2Cor.6.5
In beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger;
The BSB renders the noun as hunger within Paul's hardships; endurance is described without commanding the church to manufacture deprivation.
- 2Cor.11.27
In labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.
Being often without food belongs among toil, exposure and danger, and Paul concludes by emphasizing weakness rather than impressive performance.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itfasting2×Luke 2:37, Acts 14:23
[and] hunger1×2 Corinthians 6:5
Fast1×Acts 27:9
without food1×2 Corinthians 11:27
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 2:37νηστείαιςtofastingNoun - Dative Feminine PluralActs 14:23νηστειῶνtofastingNoun - Genitive Feminine PluralActs 27:9ΝηστείανtoFastNoun - Accusative Feminine Singular2 Corinthians 6:5νηστείαιςto[and] hungerNoun - Dative Feminine Plural2 Corinthians 11:27νηστείαιςtowithout foodNoun - Dative Feminine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowLuke 2:37
Aligned rows5
Books represented3
Luke1Acts22 Corinthians2
Source forms
νηστείαις3xnēsteiaisLuke 2:37, 2 Corinthians 6:5, 2 Corinthians 11:27
Νηστείαν1xNēsteianActs 27:9
νηστειῶν1xnēsteiōnActs 14:23
Parsing patterns
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural3xLuke 2:37, 2 Corinthians 6:5, 2 Corinthians 11:27
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular1xActs 27:9
Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural1xActs 14:23
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Offer food and practical help to people facing deprivation instead of praising the deprivation as a spiritual achievement.
- Participation in devotional fasting must not be forced through public comparison, bodily pressure or threats of spiritual inferiority.
Avoid claiming...
- Fasting does not purchase God's favor or guarantee that a requested decision will turn out as desired.
- This noun provides no authority to demand food deprivation from a vulnerable person or to dismiss someone's need for nourishment.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Voluntary self-denial from food for spiritual purposes, distinct from involuntary hunger.
Strong'sG3521
Lexical occurrences5 versesGreek text appearances8 timesWord forms3 forms5 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
fasting
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Voluntary self-denial from food for spiritual purposes, distinct from involuntary hunger.
(νηστεύω), [in LXX for צוֹם ;] fasting, a fast;
aof voluntary abstinence from food: Mat.17:21 (WH, R, txt., om.), Mrk.9:29 (WH, txt., R, txt., om.), Luk.2:37, Act.14:23; of the Day of Atonement, Act.27:9;
Synonymsἀσιτία, q.v
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
8 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 17:21Noun Dative Singular Feminine
νηστείᾳ.nhsteia
fasting, the day of atonement
Read verseMark 9:29Noun Dative Singular Feminine
νηστείᾳ.nhsteia
fasting, the day of atonement
Read verseLuke 2:37Noun Dative Plural Feminine
νηστείαιςnhsteiaiv
fasting, the day of atonement
Read verseActs 14:23Noun Genitive Plural Feminine
νηστειῶν,nhsteiwn
fasting, the day of atonement
Read verseActs 27:9Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
νηστείανnhsteian
fasting, the day of atonement
Read verse1 Corinthians 7:5Noun Dative Singular Feminine
νηστείᾳnhsteia
fasting, the day of atonement
Read verse2 Corinthians 6:5Noun Dative Plural Feminine
νηστείαις,nhsteiaiv
fasting, the day of atonement
Read verse2 Corinthians 11:27Noun Dative Plural Feminine
νηστείαιςnhsteiaiv
fasting, the day of atonement
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns3Aligned forms5Case patternDative (3)Number patternPlural (4)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Genitive · Plural · FeminineActs 14:231×
Dative · Plural · FeminineLuke 2:37 · 2 Cor 6:5 · 2 Cor 11:273×
Accusative · Singular · FeminineActs 27:91×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Witnesses
Luke 2:36–38νηστείαιςnēsteía
Fastings
Showing 1 selected witness from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
νηστεία is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Acts 14:23 locates fasting inside a wider movement of gospel proclamation, strengthened disciples, appointed elders and trust in the Lord. It describes prayerful dependence as communities face hardship, not a technique that guarantees a particular outcome. Anna's story likewise moves from devoted prayer to recognition, thanksgiving and testimony when Jesus is brought to the temple.
Paul's letters prevent this account from becoming one-sided. Hunger and being without food belong to the costly conditions of his ministry, and his argument exposes weakness rather than advertising bodily achievement. Isaiah's concern for oppressed workers and hungry neighbors also tests religious practice by its treatment of people. A faithful reading therefore honors prayer and dependence while refusing to romanticize deprivation or use fasting to control another person's body.
Anchor passage
Acts.14.23
Doctrinal connections
- Anna's expectant worship turns toward thanksgiving and testimony about the child who brings redemption.
- Paul and Barnabas entrust the churches' elders to the Lord in whom the believers have placed faith.
- Prayer accompanies fasting in the devotional and leadership settings rather than being replaced by a bodily technique.
- Apostolic hardship includes unwanted hunger, keeping descriptions of suffering distinct from commands to imitate deprivation.
- Paul's ministry argument emphasizes weakness and God's sustaining mercy instead of impressive bodily achievement.
- Isaiah 58 joins acceptable devotion with freedom for oppressed people and bread shared with the hungry.
Nesteia is the noun connected with fasting or lack of food. The five selected noun rows are distinct from occurrences of the related verb for fasting. The BSB's hunger and without-food renderings in Corinthians preserve a contextual distinction from Anna's devotional practice.
From Old to New Testament
Isaiah 58:3-12 confronts people who fast while oppressing workers and neglecting the hungry. Its positive call includes sharing bread, shelter and clothing. This prophetic context supports an ethical test of devotion; it is not an additional Greek noun occurrence or a promise that a fasting schedule will produce immediate healing.