Forty

From: The Numerals Of Scripture By: Edward C. Pressland

• 3 min. read • grade level: 9

Forty has a special place and meaning as 4x10 in several passages, i.e. the number of perfected probation or responsibility before God fully taken up on earth. And it will accordingly be found connected with the judgment as a result.

Thus, the twelve spies searched the land through 40 days fully to test it and its produce (Num. 13:25²⁵And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. (Numbers 13:25)). But the presentation of their evidence tested Israel who despised the pleasant land and they wandered 40 years in the wilderness a year for a day as the result.

Forty was the limit to the number of stripes that might be given in punishment (Deut. 25:3³Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee. (Deuteronomy 25:3)).

Goliath challenged Israel 40 days (1 Sam. 17:16¹⁶And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. (1 Samuel 17:16)).

Jonah gave Nineveh 40 days for repentance (Jonah 3:4⁴And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. (Jonah 3:4)).

Hazael, when he would inquire of God, took 40 camels burden of presents, on behalf of his master the king of Syria (2 Kings 8:9⁹So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? (2 Kings 8:9)).

The rain at the deluge was for 40 days and 40 nights (Gen. 7:4, 12, 17⁴For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. (Genesis 7:4)
¹²And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7:12)
¹⁷And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. (Genesis 7:17)). And when the waters abated, Noah waited 40 days before he sent out the raven (Gen. 8:6⁶And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: (Genesis 8:6)).

Jacob was embalmed 40 days (Gen. 50:3³And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days. (Genesis 50:3)).

Elijah went in the strength of that meat 40 days and nights to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8⁸And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. (1 Kings 19:8)).

Our Lord Jesus Christ submitted Himself to temptation of the devil 40 days (Luke 4:2²Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. (Luke 4:2)), most blessed witness to His person, by the period of perfected probation: 40 days. Similarly, in resurrection, He appeared to His disciples that they might be well qualified as witnesses, 40 days, before ascending (Acts 1:3³To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (Acts 1:3)).

Moses was in the mount 40 days and nights (Ex. 24:18¹⁸And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24:18)), and again the same length of time (Ex. 34:28²⁸And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (Exodus 34:28)).

Moses was 40 years old when he fled from Pharaoh, led the desert life 40 years, and again led Israel through their 40 years of wandering. Caleb was 40 years old when Moses sent him as a spy at Kadesh (Josh. 14:7⁷Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. (Joshua 14:7)).

Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah (Gen. 25:20²⁰And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. (Genesis 25:20)). Esau was 40 when he married Judith (Gen. 26:34³⁴And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: (Genesis 26:34)).

Ishbosheth was 40 when he began to reign (2 Sam. 2:10¹⁰Ish-bosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. (2 Samuel 2:10)).

The land rested 40 years under Othniel (Judg. 3:11¹¹And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. (Judges 3:11)). The land rested 40 years after Deborah's victory (Judg. 5:31³¹So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. (Judges 5:31)). The land rested 40 years under Gideon (Judg. 8:28²⁸Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon. (Judges 8:28)). The land was once 40 years under Philistines (Judg. 13:1¹And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. (Judges 13:1)),

Eli judged Israel 40 years (1 Sam. 4:18¹⁸And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. (1 Samuel 4:18)).

David, Saul, Solomon, and Jehoash reigned, each, 40 years (2 Sam. 5:4⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. (2 Samuel 5:4), Acts 13:21²¹And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. (Acts 13:21), 2 Chron. 9:30³⁰And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. (2 Chronicles 9:30), and 2 Kings 12:1¹In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. (2 Kings 12:1)).

The length of the "holy" in Solomon's temple was 40 cubits (1 Kings 6:17¹⁷And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long. (1 Kings 6:17); also Ezek. 41:2²And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits. (Ezekiel 41:2)).

Forty shekels was the customary pay of governors (Neh. 5:15¹⁵But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God. (Nehemiah 5:15)).

Acts 23:13¹³And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. (Acts 23:13) shows that "more than forty" had made conspiracy against Paul; indicating an energy in such a matter that would not be overcome.

"Gilgal" where the judgment of death to self is seen is mentioned 40 times. The ark is called "ark of the covenant" 40 times. "Most Holy" is used 40 times in the Old Testament. "Blue" is mentioned 40 times in Ex. and Num.

It will be readily seen that the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ was the one scene where probation and judgment were alike perfected before God together. The probation of man, as in Israel, was finished then; the crucifixion of the Messiah was final guilt. It is interesting to see in connection with this the figure of the shattered nation in the impotent man of John 5, who had an infirmity 38 years; whereas after the cross, the lame man in Acts 3, who again illustrates the condition of the nation, "was above forty years old" (Acts 4:22²²For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was showed. (Acts 4:22)), a specimen of grace which would equally heal the nation, even now "but ye would not."

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