Fasting
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(1 Kings 21:9; Neh. 9:1; Jer. 36:6). In times of danger or public calamity the Jews customarily imposed a fast upon themselves as a religious duty: they abstained from food, prayed, and offered sacrifices (Judg. 20:26). Individuals did the same before an especially important undertaking or when misfortune struck, as Moses did on Mount Sinai when receiving the Law, David after Saul’s death, and the Ninevites in response to Jonah’s preaching (Ex. 24:18; 2 Sam. 1:12; Jonah 3:5).