Meaning of Numbers: The Number 41
Although the precise meaning of number 41 is unclear in Scripture, it does have some relationship with the kings of ancient Israel and Judah.
Rehoboam was the son of King Solomon. It was during the earliest days of his rule, when he was 41, that the united kingdom of Israel split into two pieces (1Kings 12). This split in 930 A.D., which was prophesied to occur (1Kings 11:29 - 39, 12:15), created the Kingdoms of Israel (ten tribes) and Judah (two tribes plus tribe of Levi). Rehoboam ruled over Judah's kingdom while Jeroboam ruled over Israel.
Asa, one of the good kings over Judah, reigned for 41 years (910 to 869 B.C.). He had the third longest monarchy of Judah's twenty rulers (1Kings 15:10). Jeroboam II also ruled over the Kingdom of Israel for the same number of official years (40 actual years, 2Kings 14:23). His was the longest reign of all those who took the throne over the northern ten tribes.
Appearances of Number Forty-One
In 43 A.D. the Apostle Paul turned 41 years old.
Book 41 in most modern translations is the gospel of Mark.
The phrase "His mercy endureth for ever" occurs forty-one times in the King James translation.
Out of the large number of prophecies found in the Old Testament, forty-one of them concern individuals and not nations or other groups of people.
Job 41, in the KJV, mentions a strange animal known as a leviathan. This creature is also described in Psalm 74 and 104 as well as Isaiah 27. This fearsome beast had a large tongue and a thick, impenetrable skin composed of scales. It was also quite strong, possessing a jaw with two rows of teeth that could not be forced open!
In 41 B.C., Marc Antony (of Antony and Cleopatra fame) promotes Herod the Great to the position of Roman Tetrarch over Jerusalem and Galilee.
Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great, is elevated by Caligula in 39 A.D. to Roman Tetrarch over Galilee and Perea. In 41, after Emperor Caligula is assassinated, he is made king over Judea and Samaria by Claudius. This Herod is notorious for murdering the Apostle James, thus becoming the first person to kill one of the original apostles (see Acts 12:1 - 5, 19 - 23).
Martin Luther and the Number 41
The second New Testament book to be included in Scripture was written from 40 to 41 A.D. It was authored by Jesus' half-brother James and named after him. His writing focused on Christians being justified by faith AND works. The book of James challenges Christianity's prevailing concept that salvation requires nothing more than belief in God.
James' teaching that "faith alone" is not enough caused Martin Luther to label the book an epistle of straw because it contradicted what he thought the Bible taught.
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 41
41 is the 13th prime number. Primes that immediately precede it include 29, 31 and 37, and those that come after it are 43, 47, 53 and so on.
41 is the product of 4 x 4 (4 squared or 16) added to 5 x 5 (5 squared or 25).
In the Old Testament, the Biblical chapters of Numbers 15, 22, Job 38 and 2Kings 17 contain 41 verses in the King James Bible.
In the New Testament, the chapters Mark 4, John 9, Acts 15 and 19 have 41 verses in the KJV.
The forty-first Psalm, written by King David, praises those who help the poor and the needy. Those who do so are promised that the Lord will protect and heal them.
Tiberius Claudius Caesar, the fourth emperor over the Roman Empire, began his rule in 41 A.D. after the murder of Caligula. He is mentioned in Acts 11:28 in relation to when a prophesied great famine would come upon the earth. His expelling of all Jews from Rome was the reason Priscilla and Aquila, who would become friends of Apostle Paul, ended up in Corinth (Acts 18:1 - 3).
The Greek word probaton (Strong's #G4263) occurs 41 times in 37 verses in the New Testament's original language. It is recorded the most in John (21 times) followed by Matthew (11). The word refers to any four footed and tame grazing animals. In the New Testament the word is always translated as "sheep."
And how much better is a man than a sheep (probaton)? So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbaths (Matthew 12:12, HBFV).
The Hebrew word tsela (Strong's #H6763) occurs 41 times in 32 verses in the Old Testament's original language. It is used the most in Exodus (19 times) followed by Ezekiel (11). The word is generally used to refer to something that is on the side (location wise) of something else. It can refer to a human rib, a side of a hill, a side chamber, the leaves of a door and so on. Its first two uses famously reference how God created a woman out of a man.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall over Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs (min tsela), and afterward closed up the flesh underneath. Then the Lord God made the rib (tsela, which He had taken out of the man) into a woman, and He brought her to the man (Genesis 2:21 - 22, HBFV).