1. The fast of the fourth month, kept on the seventeenth day of Tammuz, the anniversary of the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; to commemorate also the incident recorded (Exodus 32:19) (Comp.) (Jeremiah 52:6,7)

2. The fast of the fifth month, kept on the ninth of Ab (comp.)

(Numbers 14:27) to commemorate the burning of the city and temple

(Jeremiah 52:12,13)

3. The fast of the seventh month, kept on the third of Tisri (comp.) (2 Kings 25:1)ff the anniversary of the murder of Gedaliah

(Jeremiah 41:1,2)

4. The fast of the tenth month (comp.) (Jeremiah 52:4; Ezekiel 33:21; 2 Kings 25:1) to commemorate the beginning of the siege of the holy city by Nebuchadnezzar.

There was in addition to these the fast appointed by Esther (Esther 4:16) Public national fasts on account of sin or to supplicate divine favour were sometimes held.

1. (1 Samuel 7:6)

2. (2 Chronicles 20:3)

3. (Jeremiah 36:6-10)

4. (Nehemiah 9:1) There were also local fasts.

1. (Judges 20:26)

2. (2 Samuel 1:12)

3. (1 Samuel 31:13)

4. (1 Kings 21:9-12)

5. (Ezra 8:21-23)

6. (Jonah 3:5-9)

There are many instances of private occasional fasting (1 Samuel 1:7) (1 Samuel 20:34; 2 Samuel 3:35; 12:16; 1 Kings 21:27; Ezra 10:6; Nehemiah 1:4; Daniel 10:2,3) Moses fasted forty days (Exodus 24:18; 34:28) and so also did Elijah (1 Kings 19:8) Our Lord fasted forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2) In the lapse of time the practice of fasting was lamentably abused (Isaiah 58:4) (Jeremiah 14:12; Zechariah 7:5) Our Lord rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocritical pretences in fasting (Matthew 6:16) He himself appointed no fast. The early Christians, however, observed the ordinary fasts according to the law of their fathers (Acts 13:3; 14:23; 2 Corinthians 6:5)