What is the significance of 40 days in the Bible?

Answer 1

In a few instances periods of judgment or punishment seem to be associated with the number 40. (Ge 7:4; Eze 29:11, 12) Nineveh was given 40 days to repent. (Jon 3:4) Another use of the number 40 points out a parallel in the life of Jesus Christ with that of Moses, who typified Christ. Both of these men experienced 40-day periods of fasting.—Ex 24:18; 34:28; De 9:9, 11; Mt 4:1, 2.

Answer 2

In Hebrew writings, there is not the same sense of numeric precision that we have, living in a post-Enlightenment age of technology and science.

In these writings, "forty" means "many" and not a literal 40.

However, many also link the idea of 40 to an understanding of being tried or tested --as in the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness by Israel and the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, but these are interpretations that we have read into these instances and not really present in the original text.

Answer 3

A time of waiting is real. it is likewise a time for transformation, cleansing. Biblical examples of 40 days and 40 nights: The rain on the initiating of the international flood The term that Noah waited to open the window, after the mountain tops must be seen. The quantity of time Moses develop into on the mountain with God. two times. The quantity of time that Moses face shone. The length of time that the spies searched out the promised land. The style of days that Goliath strut around in front of the Israeli military. the quantity of time Elijah went after eating the meal presented by the angel. Ezekiel bore the iniquity of the domicile of Judah for 40 days The style of days that Jonah preached. The style of days that Jesus fasted interior the wasteland. Jesus develop into tempted 40 days interior the wasteland. The style of days that Jesus appeared after the resurrection. thank you for asking! I enjoyed doing that evaluation! **edit** nonetheless looking greater!

Answer 4

In the Old Testament,40 days represents about half the timeof the rainfall that produced the flood that produced the myth of Noah and The Ark which produced the religeou filberts who take the story literally.
( 40 days and 40 nights)

Answer 5

I asked this question once too.....I was told that 40 was a way of expressing "We dont really know how long he was out there, but man it was a while..."

In other words, more BS in the Bible.

Answer 6

40 days = 5 weeks + 5 days = 6 weeks - 2 days = some arbitrary artificial religious time span = nothing of much ultimate signigificance.

Answer 7

i do believe that 40 days is how long Jesus wandered through the desert being tempted by satan and refusing to give into temptation

Answer 8

It's my unlearned understanding that it's a standard euphemism for "A really long time, but no one is really sure exactly how long."

Answer 9

i think it was the flood