Why Do We Fast on the Day of Atonement?

 Have you ever wondered why we fast on the Day of Atonement? Why we spend the entire day neither eating nor drinking?

After all, there is no command in the Bible that says, “Thou shalt neither eat nor drink on the Day of Atonement.” No such statement appears anywhere in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. So why do we fast on this day? Is it Scriptural to do so?

Indeed it is — but it takes a little study to see it! We have to put some Scriptures together. Let’s review these, then, so that we know why we do what we do, and so that we can answer anyone who might ask us.

Instructions For Atonement

In Leviticus 23, we find these instructions for the Day of Atonement:

26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

27 "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.

28 "And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.

29 "For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people.

30 "And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.

31 "You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32 "It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath."

So we’re told that the Day of Atonement is the 10th day of the 7th month, from the end of the 9th day until the end of the 10th day. From sunset to sunset, in other words.

Work is strictly forbidden on this day, more than on any other day, even more than on the weekly Sabbath. God even goes so far as to say, “Any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.”

But we’re also commanded to afflict our souls on this day. The command is repeated twice in this short passage, and once again, God warns of dire punishment for anyone who is not afflicted on this day: “For any person who is not afflicted [in soul] on that same day shall be cut off from his people.”

This isn’t the only place we find this instruction, either. The same command is given twice more in Leviticus 16, vv. 29 and 31, and once more in Num. 29:7. Five times in all, God commands us to afflict our souls on the Day of Atonement.

But what does that mean?

What Does It Mean to Afflict Your Soul?

To afflict oneself is to humble oneself. Ezra 8:21 plainly associates afflicting or humbling oneself with fasting: “And I proclaim there a fast, by the river Ahava, to afflict ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a right way for us, and for our infants, and for all our substance” (YLT). The Hebrew word used here for “afflict” is anah (Strong’s # H6031), which is the same word used for afflicting one’s soul on the Day of Atonement.

Again, in Isa. 58:3, fasting is plainly associated with afflicting one’s soul: “‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your laborers.”

Throughout the Bible, fasting is associated with humility and repentance. With humbling oneself before Almighty God and seeking His mercy, favor, and help. Nor is there any example of afflicting oneself or afflicting one’s soul that doesn’t include fasting!

Here are some more examples:

Judges 20:26 — Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

1 Samuel 7:6 — So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured [it] out before the LORD. And they fasted that day, and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.

2 Samuel 1:12 — And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

2 Chronicles 20:3 — And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

Esther 4:15-16 — Then Esther told [them] to reply to Mordecai: "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which [is] against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"

Joel 1:14 — Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders [And] all the inhabitants of the land [Into] the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.

And finally, in Joel 2:12-18, you can read a lengthy call to repentance, and a vivid description of humbling oneself before God, fasting, and entreating His mercy. For the sake of space, we don’t need to reproduce it here, but I recommend that you look it up and read it.

Not only this, but we also find an apparent reference to the Day of Atonement in the New Testament, where it’s identified only as The Fast. The apostle Paul, about to be sent to Rome as a prisoner, was concerned about setting sail so late in the year: “Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives” (Acts 27:9-10).

Conclusion

So why do we fast on the Day of Atonement? Because God commanded us to do so. He commanded us to afflict our souls, and the Bible specifically associates fasting with afflicting our souls. The purpose of fasting, of abstaining from food and drink, is to humble ourselves before our Creator, to seek His mercy, His favor, and His guidance in our lives. This is one of the primary purposes of the Day of Atonement!