tsom denotes an observance of fasting, whether proclaimed for a community or undertaken in mourning, prayer, or seeking God.

The term denotes a fasting observance: it may be proclaimed for a gathered people, associated with mourning and prayer, or described as an established observance at appointed times. The same use appears in personal settings, where fasting accompanies seeking God, affliction, or bodily weakness.

1. Fasting observance · dominant

   The noun names an observance that can be publicly proclaimed and joined to assembly or prayer: in Ezra 8:21 the APB renders a proclamation beside the River Ahava so that the group might humble themselves and seek God, while Joel 1:14 renders its consecration alongside calling an assembly. It also occurs with mourning and personal seeking: in Daniel 9:3 the APB renders seeking God by prayer and supplications “with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes,” and Psalm 109:24 connects it with failing knees.

   Ezra 8:21Joel 1:14Daniel 9:3Esther 4:3Psalm 109:24Zechariah 8:19

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously presents the noun as “fast,” “fasting,” “fast day,” and “fasts,” including the construct expressions in Zechariah 8:19. These renderings show the verse-level presentation rather than a precise token-by-token equivalence.