What is the significance of 40 days in the Bible?

Mentioning 146 times in Scripture, the number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation. During Moses’ life he lived forty years in Egypt and forty years in the desert before God selected him to lead his people out of slavery.

What does 40 days symbolize?

The Meaning of Numbers: The Number 40. The prophet Jonah powerfully warned ancient Nineveh , for forty days, that its destruction would come because of its many sins. The prophet Ezekiel laid on His right side for 40 days to symbolize Judah’s sins (Ezekiel 4:6). Elijah went 40 days without food or water at Mount Horeb .

What does the Bible say about 40 days fasting?

Matthew 4:2 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Daniel 9:3 3 So I turned to the LORD God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting , and in sackcloth and ashes. Acts 13:2 2 While they were worshiping the LORD and fasting , the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Matthew 6:16-18 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting , but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Luke 2:37 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Joel 2:12 12 “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Acts 14:23 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the LORD, in whom they had put their trust.

What does the number 40 represent biblically?

From biblical standpoint, the number 40 represent testing, trial and probation. Starting with chapter seven of the book of Genesis, we see that God tested Noah’s obedience by asking him to enter the ark as He was going to send down rain upon the earth for 40 days and nights.