צוּם
to fast
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”).
Form
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Grammatical forms 13 distinct
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural 5 times (24%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 2 times (10%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural 2 times (10%)
- Verb, Qal, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 2 times (10%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural 2 times (10%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperative, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural 1 time (5%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 1st Person, Common, Plural 1 time (5%)
- Verb, Qal, Infinitive Absolute 1 time (5%)
+5 more forms (5 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 21 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H6684 appears — 17 distinct verses across 11 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Judges 1 verse
1 Samuel 2 verses
- 1 Samuel 7:6 וַ/יָּצ֨וּמוּ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Yahweh, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Yahweh. Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.
- 1 Samuel 31:13 וַ/יָּצֻ֖מוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
2 Samuel 5 verses
- 2 Samuel 1:12 וַ/יָּצֻ֖מוּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp and they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
- 2 Samuel 12:16 וַ/יָּ֤צָם conj + Qal wimpf 3ms David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.
- 2 Samuel 12:21 צַ֣מְתָּ Qal pf 2ms Then said his servants to him, What thing is this that you have done? you did fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, you did rise and eat bread.
- 2 Samuel 12:22 צַ֖מְתִּי Qal pf 1cs He said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knows whether Yahweh will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
- 2 Samuel 12:23 צָ֔ם Qal ptcp.act ms But now he is dead, why should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.
1 Kings 1 verse
1 Chronicles 1 verse
Ezra 1 verse
Nehemiah 1 verse
Esther 1 verse
Isaiah 2 verses
- Isaiah 58:3 צַּ֨מְנוּ֙ Qal pf 1cp Why have we fasted, [say they], and you don't see? [why] have we afflicted our soul, and you take no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast you find [your own] pleasure, and exact all your labors.
- Isaiah 58:4 תָּצ֔וּמוּ תָצ֣וּמוּ Qal impf 2mp Qal impf 2mp Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to strike with the fist of wickedness: you don't fast this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
Jeremiah 1 verse
Zechariah 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, צום (tsûwm) means “to fast.” Scripture first uses it in Judges 20:26. It turns up in 17 verses across 11 books, an uncommon footprint. The word gravitates to 2 Samuel (29%), then 1 Samuel and Isaiah. It shares a root with צום. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H6684 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 17
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 17 distinct verses.
- 11 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 11 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #1,462
- by frequency
- Top 2500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 1,462 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 17 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 17 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 13 verses · 76%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 4 verses · 24%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Fasted 8×, Fast 2×
- American Standard Version: Fasted 7×, I fasted 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: Fasted 4×, Fast 3×, They fasted 3×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: They fasted 4×, Fast 2×, Fasted 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H6684 across 21 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 11 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H6684 across 21 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 12 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H6684 across 20 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H6684 across 23 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 13 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 1 sense the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. 2 ms. צַמְתָּ 2 S 12:21; 2 mpl. צַמְתֶּם Zc 7:5, sf. צַמְתֻּנִי v 5; Impf. 3 ms. וַיָּ֫צָם 2 S 12:16, וַיָּצוֹ֑ם 1 K 21:27; 1 s. אָצוּם Est 4:16, etc.; Imv. mpl. צוּמוּ v 16; Inf. abs. צוֹם Zc 7:5; Pt. צָם 2 S 12:23; Ne 1:4;—fast, in mourning the dead 1 S 31:13 = 1 Ch 10:12; 2 S 1:12; in worship (contrition, intercession, etc.) Ju 20:26; 1 S 7:6; 2 S 12:16 (c. acc. cogn. צוֹם; ‖ בִּקֵּשׁ), v 23 and (+ בָּכָה), v 21, 22 (q.v. for explanation), Je 14:12; Zc 7:5 (+ סְפוֹד), הֲצוֹם צַמְתֻּנִי v 5 (Ges§ 117 x) was it at all unto me [י׳] that ye fasted? וָאֱהִי צָם Ne 1:4 (periphr. conj.; + מִתְפַּלֵּל), cf. Ezr 8:23 (+ בִּקֵּשׁ), Est 4:16 (c. עַל pers. for whom), v 16, Is 58:3 (‖ עִנִּינוּ נַפְשֵׁנוּ), v 4 (c, ל rei), v 4; once in disappointment and vexation 1 K 21:27. e.g. 2 Samuel 12:21
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. abstain from food, fast (NH id.; Arabic (صوم), صَامَ Ethiopic ጾመ: Aramaic צוּם, ܨܳܡ );—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
צוּם
- h. צוּם (cmp. צמם) to restrain one’s self; to fast. Targ. II Sam. XII, 16. Targ. Y. Lev. XXIII, 29; a. fr.—Part. צָאֵים, צָיֵים; f. צָיְימָא, צָיְמָא; pl. צָיְימִין, צָיְמִ׳. Targ. II Sam. XII, 23. Targ. Y. II, Lev. l. c.; a. fr.—Y. Ḥall. I, 57ᶜ top צָם תרי יומין fasted two days (observed the Day of Atonement two days). Y. Kil. IX, 32ᵇ bot.—Y. Ḥag. II, 77ᵈ bot. הוות צָיְימָה ומפרסמה she used to fast and make it public; a. fr.
- same. Targ. Y. Lev. l. c.—Y. Ned. VIII, 40ᵈ bot. צ׳ כל ערובת וכ׳ … ר׳ R. J. fasted every New Year’s eve; ib. צ׳ … דצומין observed three hundred voluntary fasts; Y. Meg. I, 70ᵈ top (also צם). Y. Sot. III, 19ᵃ מְצַיְּימָה (ו)אובדת וכ׳ she fasts and loses her virginity; a. fr.
צוֹם
- preced.) fast, fast-day. Treat. Sof’rim XVII, 4 ימי הצ׳ fast-days. R. Hash. 18ᵇ (ref. to Zech. VIII, 19) בזמן שיש … אין שלום צ׳ when there is peace, these days shall be days of joy &c., when there is no peace, they shall be fast-days; a. e.—Pl. צוֹמוֹת, צוֹמִין. Koh. R. to X, 10 יגזרו צ׳ ותעניות let them decree fasts and afflictions. Y. Bets. II, end, 61ᵈ מן הצ׳ ומן התעניות (not התענית) from fasts and &c. Meg. 16ᵇ; a. e. e.g. Zechariah 8:19
צוֹם ²
- , ch. same. Targ. Joel II, 12. Targ. II Esth. III, 8. Targ. Zech. VII, 5 צום תעני a fast of affliction; a. fr.—Y. Ḥall. I, 57ᶜ top; Y. R. Hash. I, 57ᵇ bot. תמן חשין לצ׳ רבה תרין יומין there (in Babylonia) were such as thought the Great Fast (Day of Atonement) should be observed two days (on account of the uncertainty of the calendar). Y. Ab. Zar. I, 39ᵇ bot. דאת מחשב ואת משכח צ׳ רבה וכ׳ for if you make the calculation, you will find that the Day of Atonement would have been on a Sunday (which must not be); a. fr.—Pl. צוֹמִין, צוֹמַיָּא, צוֹמָתָא. Targ. Esth. IX, 31; Targ. II Esth. ib. צומתא (ed. Lag. sing.). Ib. V, 1; a. e.—Y. Ned. VIII, 40ᵈ bot., v. צוּם; a. e.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 20 distinct written forms H6684 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| וַ/יָּצֻ֖מוּ | Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | 1 Samuel 31:13 | 2 |
| אָצ֣וּם | Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular | Esther 4:16 | 1 |
| הֲ/צ֥וֹם | Verb, Qal, Infinitive Absolute | Zechariah 7:5 | 1 |
| וְ/צ֣וּמוּ | Verb, Qal, Imperative, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural | Esther 4:16 | 1 |
| וַ/יָּ֤צָם | Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | 2 Samuel 12:16 | 1 |
| וַ/יָּצ֑וֹם | Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | 1 Kings 21:27 | 1 |
| וַ/יָּצ֖וּמוּ | Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | 1 Chronicles 10:12 | 1 |
| וַ/יָּצ֥וּמוּ | Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Judges 20:26 | 1 |
| וַ/יָּצ֨וּמוּ֙ | Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | 1 Samuel 7:6 | 1 |
| וַ/נָּצ֛וּמָ/ה | Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 1st Person, Common, Plural | Ezra 8:23 | 1 |
| יָצֻ֗מוּ | Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Jeremiah 14:12 | 1 |
| צַ֖מְתִּי | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular | 2 Samuel 12:22 | 1 |
| צַ֣מְתָּ | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular | 2 Samuel 12:21 | 1 |
| צַמְתֶּ֨ם | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural | Zechariah 7:5 | 1 |
| צַמְתֻּ֖/נִי | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural | Zechariah 7:5 | 1 |
| צָ֔ם | Verb, Qal, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | 2 Samuel 12:23 | 1 |
| צָם֙ | Verb, Qal, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Nehemiah 1:4 | 1 |
| צַּ֨מְנוּ֙ | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 1st Person, Common, Plural | Isaiah 58:3 | 1 |
| תָצ֣וּמוּ | Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural | Isaiah 58:4 | 1 |
| תָּצ֔וּמוּ | Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural | Isaiah 58:4 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H6684, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 16 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 17 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Judges 20:26
- 1 Samuel 7:6
- 2 Samuel 1:12
- 1 Kings 21:27
- 1 Chronicles 10:12
- Ezra 8:23
- Esther 4:16
- Isaiah 58:3
- Jeremiah 14:12
- Zechariah 7:5
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
