Bible Verses About Fasting: 14 Scriptures on Fasting and Prayer

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."

— Matthew 6:16 (NIV)

People who search scriptures on fasting or fasting verses in the Bible want Scripture for voluntary abstinence — hunger offered with prayer and humility — not another general prayer listicle. This page is a numbered list of fourteen passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related pages: Bible verses about prayer, Bible verses about humility, Bible verses about repentance, Bible verses about worship, and Bible verses about holiness. Here the focus is fasting as practiced seeking — distinct from ask-seek-knock lists on Bible verses about prayer.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "to fast" is νηστεύω nēsteuō (Strong's G3522; Bible Hub G3522) — to abstain from food. The noun νηστεία nēsteia names a fast. Biblical fasting is chosen emptiness before God, not a diet brand or a public performance of hunger.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 6 presses that fasting is assumed ("when you fast"), yet hypocrites turn it into theater — the Father who sees in secret is the audience that matters (Bible Hub commentaries on Matthew 6:16; Bible Hub MHC Matthew 6). On Isaiah 58 he urges that the fast God chooses looses injustice and shares bread with the hungry — abstinence without mercy misses the point (Bible Hub commentaries on Isaiah 58:6; Bible Hub MHC Isaiah 58).

What does the Bible say about fasting?

Scripture never treats fasting as a diet or a way to earn God's favor. It is going without food for a time to seek God with more focus.

Fasting is expected. Jesus says "when you fast," not "if": "put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen" (Matthew 6:17-18).
Fasting goes with prayer. "So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer" (Ezra 8:23).
Fasting goes with turning back. "Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning" (Joel 2:12).
Fasting goes with mercy. The fast God chooses is "to loose the chains of injustice" and "to share your food with the hungry" (Isaiah 58:6-7).
Jesus fasted. "After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry" (Matthew 4:2).

For praying alongside a fast, see Bible verses about prayer.

14 Bible verses about fasting

Matthew 6:16-18. "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Jesus assumes fasting — and bans theater. See Bible verses about humility.
Isaiah 58:6-7. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter…" God-chosen fasting frees people and shares bread — not empty ritual. See Bible verses about justice.
Joel 2:12. "'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.'" Fasting belongs with whole-heart return — tears allowed. See Bible verses about repentance.
Acts 13:2-3. "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off." Mission sending is wrapped in worship, fasting, and prayer. See Bible verses about the Holy Spirit.
Acts 14:23. "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust." Leadership appointment is sealed with prayer and fasting — trust named out loud. See Bible verses about the church.
Luke 4:1-2. "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." The Spirit-led fast meets temptation — hunger is real, not staged. See Bible verses about temptation.
Ezra 8:23. "So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer." Fasting and petition travel; answered prayer is recorded. See Bible verses about prayer.
Nehemiah 1:4. "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." News of ruin draws mourning, fasting, and prayer before plans. See Bible verses about grief.
Daniel 9:3. "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." Plea, fasting, and humility clothes sit together. See Bible verses about humility.
Esther 4:16. "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do…" Corporate fasting steadies courage before a costly approach. See Bible verses about courage.
Luke 2:37. "and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying." Long faithfulness pairs fasting with worship and prayer. See Bible verses about worship.
Matthew 9:14-15. "Then John's disciples came and asked him, 'How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?' Jesus answered, 'How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.'" Fasting has a timing — joy with the Bridegroom, then fasting in his absence-shaped age. See Bible verses about joy.
Psalm 35:13. "…When they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting…" Fasting can be intercession for enemies who later turn — humility before God. See Bible verses about loving your enemies.
Jonah 3:5. "The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth." A city-wide fast answers believed warning — greatness does not skip the sackcloth. See Bible verses about repentance.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for a personal fast, a church send-off, or a season of seeking — not fourteen. If you need Jesus's secret-fast rule, start with Matthew 6:16-18. If you need mercy attached to abstinence, start with Isaiah 58:6-7. If you need mission-shaped fasting, start with Acts 13:2-3. For general prayer companions, see Bible verses about prayer. For turning language, see Bible verses about repentance. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about fasting?

Matthew 6:16-18 (when you fast, do it for the Father), Isaiah 58:6-7 (the fast God chooses), and Joel 2:12 (return with fasting) are clear starting places.

Where does the Bible talk about fasting?

Fasting runs through both testaments: Moses on the mountain for forty days (Exodus 34:28), David pleading for his child (2 Samuel 12:16), Esther's three-day fast (Esther 4:16), Nineveh's city-wide fast (Jonah 3:5), Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2), Jesus' teaching on fasting in secret (Matthew 6:16-18), and the church in Antioch sending Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2-3).

What Bible verses can I read while fasting?

When hunger hits, Matthew 4:4: "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." To keep the fast between you and God, Matthew 6:17-18. To close a fast, Isaiah 58:9: "Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."

What does the Bible say fasting is for?

Scripture pairs fasting with prayer, humility, repentance, and seeking God's direction (Joel 2:12; Ezra 8:23; Acts 13:2-3) — and warns against showy hunger (Matthew 6:16-18).

How is this page different from Bible verses about prayer?

Bible verses about prayer is the ask-seek-knock list. This page is voluntary abstinence — fasting — then cross-links that prayer companion.

Did Jesus fast?

Yes. Luke 4:1-2 records his forty-day wilderness fast before temptation. Matthew 9:15 also anticipates his disciples fasting after the Bridegroom is taken.

How can I use Bible verses about fasting in prayer?

Read Matthew 6:16-18 and ask for a secret fast aimed at the Father. Use Isaiah 58:6-7 to pray that abstinence would loosen injustice. Use Acts 13:2-3 when a decision or sending needs worship and fasting together.

Sources

NIV text quoted above.
Blue Letter Bible / Bible Hub Strong's entry for nēsteuō (G3522).
Matthew Henry Concise via Bible Hub on Matthew 6:16 and Isaiah 58:6.