Meaning of Numbers: The Number 40
The English word "forty" appears 158 times in 145 King James Bible verses. This breaks down to 134 occurrences in the Old Testament and 24 times in the New. The number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation. It can also mean or symbolize a generation of man. Moses' life, as an example of trial and testing, can be divided up into three blocks of 40 years.
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The first 40 years of Moses' life entails him from growing up in Pharaoh's household and living in Egypt until he slays a man and has to flee to Midian. The second part of his life is spent as a shepherd in the wilderness until God calls him at 80 to save his people. During the last third of his life he leads the Israelites out of Egypt and wanders the wilderness until he dies at age 120.
Moses was also on Mount Sinai, on two separate occasions, for 40 days and nights (Exodus 24:18, 34:1 - 28) in order to receive God's laws. He also sent spies, for forty days, to investigate the land God promised the Israelites as an inheritance (Numbers 13:25, 14:34).
Appearances of the Number Forty
Because of their sins and initial unwillingness to enter Canaan, God swore that the generation of Israelites who were 20 years old or older who left Egyptian bondage would not enter the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 1, Numbers 13, 14:33). The people were punished with wandering the wilderness for 40 years until this generation died and a new one could inherit what the Lord promised.
The book of Exodus, in the King James translation, is the only book that has 40 chapters.
The chapters Exodus 25, Numbers 29, Judges 6 and 11, 1Chronicles 7, 8 and 12, Job 31, Psalm 37, Jeremiah 23 and 31, John 18, Acts 8, 16 and 21, 1Corinthians 7 and 14, along with Hebrews 11, all have 40 verses in the KJV.
From the time they entered the Promised Land, to the time of King Saul, Israel was sporadically governed by a number of individuals known as Judges. Though they did not rule like a king, they nevertheless had a tremendous influence on the people, as they represented God and were inspired to execute his will. Judges who served 40 years include Othniel, Deborah and Barak, Eli and Gideon.
The first three human kings over the children of Israel, Saul, David and Solomon, each ruled for forty years (1050 to 930 B.C.). After the united kingdom split into two separate pieces, King Joash served this many official years (39 actual years) as one of Judah's better kings.
Abraham tried bargained with God to not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if forty righteous people were found within in (Genesis 18:29). Both Isaac and Esau were forty years old when they were first married (Genesis 25:20, 26:34).
Period of Trial or Testing
Elijah went 40 days without food or water at Mount Horeb. Jesus was tempted by the devil many times during the 40 complete days he fasted at the start of his ministry in 26 A.D.
After Jesus' resurrection from the dead he appeared to several groups of people over a period of 40 days. When he ascended to heaven on May 18 in 30 A.D., he commanded his disciples to wait ten days (until Pentecost) so that they may receive the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18 - 20, Mark 16:15 - 18, Acts 1:4 - 5).
God flooded the earth by having it rain for forty days and nights (Genesis 7:12). After the patriarch Jacob (Israel) died in Egypt, the Egyptians spent forty days embalming his body (Genesis 50:3).
God allowed the ancient Israelites, from time to time, to be harassed and dominated by certain enemies in order to chastise and humble them for their sins. The Philistines, in the southern and western parts of Israel's land, harassed them from 1105 to 1065 B.C. God's resolution to the harassment was Samson who would become one of Israel's Judges (Judges 13:1, 1Samuel 7:13, 15 - 17).
Number 40 and Prophecy
The prophet Jonah powerfully warned ancient Nineveh, for forty days, that its destruction would come because of its many sins (Jonah 3:4).
The prophet Ezekiel was commanded by God to first lay on his left side for 390 days for the Kingdom of Israel. He was then told to lay on his right side for 40 days for the Kingdom of Judah (Ezekiel 4:1 - 6). This act represented, in years, the length each kingdom would suffer correction for their disobedience to God.
Jesus, just days before his crucifixion in 30 A.D., prophesied the total destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1 - 2, Mark 13:1 - 2). Forty years after his crucifixion the mighty Roman Empire destroyed the city and burned its beloved temple to the ground.
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 40
Number 40 is equal to 2 x 2 x 2 (or 2 cubed) x 5. Both 2 and 5 are primes.
In Gematria, the value of 40 is represented by the 13th Hebrew letter called Mem. It is represented in the Greek alphabet by the letter Mu.
The Old Testament writings that use the word "forty" for the number 40 the most are the book of Numbers (19 times) followed by Genesis and Deuteronomy (15 times each). The New Testament books that use the word the most are the book of Acts (10 times) followed by Revelation (6). It is first used in Genesis with its last appearance in Revelation.
And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters (Genesis 5:13, KJV).
And he measured the wall thereof (of New Jerusalem), an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel (Revelation 21:17, KJV).
The Hebrew word ephah, Strong's Concordance #H374, is written 40 times in 29 Hebrew Old Testament verses. Its spelling stays the same in the King James Bible. It is found the most in Ezekiel (17 times) followed by the book of Zechariah (5).
An ephah is used in Scripture as a measure of dry goods such as flour, barley meal, parched corn, wheat and so on. It is roughly equivalent to 22 liters or 20 dry quarts. One of its first uses is in the book of Leviticus.
But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering . . . (Leviticus 5:11, KJV).
Caleb (who was 40 years old) and Joshua were two of the twelve spies Moses sent to the Promised Land. He and Joshua were the only two to have the faith to encourage the people to take the land God had promised them. Forty-five years later he requested from Joshua the land he was promised for obeying the Lord. He received part of the hill country of Judea which included the cities of Hebron and Debir (Joshua 14:7 - 15).
King Ahaz, who ruled over the Kingdom of Judah from 735 to 715 B.C., died when he was forty years old.
God's law allowed a wrongdoer, in certain cases, to be beaten with 40 stripes (scourging) as part of their punishment (Deuteronomy 25:1 - 3). The Jews would later change this to 39 stripes in order not to exceed this amount per Deuteronomy 25:3. The Apostle Paul was scourged five times by the Jews for preaching the gospel (2Corinthians 11:23 - 24).
The Bible was written by 40 different people. There were 32 writers of the Old Testament and only 8 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Peter, Jude, Paul) of the New.