What Does The Number 40 Mean In Numerology
In Numerology, the angel number 40 meaning comes in various forms. Its a thing thats associated with pragmatism and success due to the combination of the limitless numbers 4 and 0.
The two angel numbers, when put together, stand for dignity and worthiness, a number thats dependable and patient but very persistent at the same time. Its the representation of the methodical approach towards the achievement of life goals using a step-by-step move.
The digit 4 in the 40 angel number is considered to be the foundation of things, and this is arrived at through the following calculation:
4+0 = 4
What this means in numerology is that the meanings associated with angel number 40 and how they work are actually based on the essence of the number 4. On the other hand, the numerology number 0 represents the wholeness and infinity of the Ascended Masters.
Once these two numbers are combined to create the 40 angel number, it takes on a whole new dimension, and this is why there are so many interpretations of the angel number 40 meaning.
So, when you break down number 0 and 4 individually, you have the diligence, blessings, foundation, and pragmatism of the number 4 combined with the wholeness, inclusiveness, and the complete comprehensiveness of the number 0 to create a digit thats more than just symbolic everywhere, a subtle message that tells someone the success that their guardian angels want from them.
Three Kings In The Bible Reigned For 40 Years Each: Saul David And Solomon
The three great and well-known Hebrew kings, Saul, David and Solomon, each ruled for 40 years. Thats not a coincidence. 40 years is considered a generation in the Bible .
For these three kings, this time period of 40 years also contains a warning: 20 years of their rule was marked by prosperity and 20 years by ruin. It characterizes the Prophet Samuels trepidations over instituting kings in the first place: eventually, theyll take from the people more than they give.
And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 1 Kings 11:42
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. Acts 13:21
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 2 Samuel 5:4
Here are some additional examples of 40 in the Bible:
- 40 lashes was the maximum whipping penalty
- God allowed the land to rest for 40 years
- Abdon, a judge in Israel, had 40 sons
- Israel did evil God gave them to an enemy for 40 years
- Eli judged Israel for 40 years
- Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he began to reign
- The holy place of the temple was 40 cubits long
- Elijah had one meal that gave him strength for 40 days
- Joash reigned 40 years in Jerusalem
- Egypt to be laid desolate for 40 years
- God gave Ninevah 40 days to repent
- Jesus remained on earth 40 days after the resurrection
You may also enjoy this short video on meaning of 40 in the Bible. Sort of an overview of this post.
When Is 40 Days And 40 Nights Associated With Judgment
There are, of course, several instances where 40 days and 40 nights can be linked to Gods judgment. However, it is important to recognize how the goodness of God often exists even amid His sovereign judgment.
For example, the prophet Ezekiel had bound himself and laid on his side for 40 days in public as a symbol of Judahs sin and apostasy towards God . Here, God used Ezekiels object lesson as a warning of coming judgment and a call to repentance.
Likewise, God had previously decided to cleanse the earth of its wickedness and start fresh with Noah and his descendants by covering the earth in a Great Flood . While the 40 days and 40 nights of rain made clear that this was truly a universal flood designed to cover the surface of the earth, the focus coming out of the flood was on the fresh start, second chance, and new covenant offered to humanity through Noah.
Furthermore, for forty years, the nation of Israel would wander in the desert as punishment for their refusal to enter the Promised Land out of fear. Why forty? We know from Scripture that forty years was the time given to coincide with the 40 days the spies had scouted the land.
For their doubt and disobedience, the people would wander. But at the end of the forty years, Gods heart for His people was again made clear. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
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Why Is This Important For Us To Understand
Today, we still ascribe importance to 40 days and 40 nights. In Christianity, the period between Lent and Easter is 40 days . It is a time of holiness, when Christians remember the sacrifice of Christ and explore their own continuing process of sanctification, or becoming more Christ-like. Some give up a bad habit or take on a positive new practice during these 40 days. Its our way today of honoring and modeling the clear significance of 40 days and nights in the Bible, and specifically the time Jesus spent fasting and enduring temptation in the desert.
Forty is an interesting number. The word quarantine is said to derive from it, specifically the Italian word quarantina, and the Centers for Disease Control note that in old times, ships arriving in Venice from infected ports were required to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing. This would presumably give diseases time to die off.
Forty is also the typical number of weeks a woman is pregnant before she gives birth to a child.
But its religious significance is its most important. Today, consider whether God wants you to use a period of 40 days and nights to learn a crucial lesson, end a negative practice, or adopt a new way of walking closer with Him.
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The Number Forty Indicates The Purging Of Sin
The number forty is used in both the Old Testament and the New Testament to indicate a period of purging or repentance. It may be a time of fasting, as when Moses fasted for forty days on Mount Sinai before receiving the Ten Commandments, or a time of self-examination and repentance, such as Noahs long walk through life after his flood experience. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years while they were cleansed from their sinful ways. Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness before beginning His ministry . And during that same period, He was tempted by Satan three times .
The number 40 also symbolizes an opportunity to seek God. In Genesis 7:4 and 8:4 it indicates how long it took Noah to construct an ark during those five months he preached repentance until everyone obeyed Gods commandment to enter into the ark with him.
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Significance Of 40 Days In The Church Today
Fr. Charles Nicholas Baz gives a great explanation of the significance of forty days in the lives of Christians today, following the teachings and examples of the Bible, saying:
The period of Forty Days is biblical in essence, for this is where it comes from, and this is why it is observed. As far as explaining the meaning of it, I prefer to use the following definition: A period of Forty Days signifies the completion in the realization of an event.When something, specifically an event, is practiced and remembered for 40 days, it makes it real and present in our daily lives. It becomes sealed in our works and etched in our memory
The Season of Advent is observed for forty days, typically, in order to make real the daily presence of Christ in our lives
There are many other seasons in the Church which are either liturgical or personal which take the shape of forty days It is simply the process that we call the Sanctification of Time. The Sanctification of Time, when conscientiously practiced, makes real in our daily lives the elements which we celebrate or commemorate. Thus, we can relate better to the Sacred Scriptures and to the Liturgical Life of our Faith.
Following the biblical examples of Moses, Ezekiel, and Jesus Christ, we still use the period of 40 days to prepare for the Nativity of Christ, through Advent, and the Resurrection of Christ, through Lent.
In The Bible: A Time Of Testing
Ive already pointed out that the meaning of 40 in the Bible is usually related to testing. There are truly dozens of examples which exemplify this, but well take a look at a few to connect the dots. From Jesus to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, 40 in the Bible features prominently. Why? Biblical scholars have pointed out, and God makes clear in scripture, that faith that is not tested is vulnerable.
Lets take a look at nine examples of 40 in the Bible.
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Spiritual Meaning Of 40 Days
What is the significance of 40 days in the Bible?
The number 40 shows up often in the Bible. Because 40 appears so often in contexts dealing with judgment or testing, many scholars understand it to be the number of probation or trial. This doesnt mean that 40 is entirely symbolic it still has a literal meaning in Scripture. Forty days means forty days, but it does seem that God has chosen this number to help emphasize times of trouble and hardship.
Here are some examples of the Bibles use of the number 40 that stress the theme of testing or judgment:
In the Old Testament, when God destroyed the earth with water, He caused it to rain 40 days and 40 nights . After Moses killed the Egyptian, he fled to Midian, where he spent 40 years in the desert tending flocks . Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights . Moses interceded on Israels behalf for 40 days and 40 nights . The Law specified a maximum number of lashes a man could receive for a crime, setting the limit at 40 . The Israelite spies took 40 days to spy out Canaan . The Israelites wandered for 40 years . Before Samsons deliverance, Israel served the Philistines for 40 years . Goliath taunted Sauls army for 40 days before David arrived to slay him . When Elijah fled from Jezebel, he traveled 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb .
The number 40 also appears in the prophecies of Ezekiel and Jonah .
Numbers In Scripture: The Number 40
Landscape with Noahs Thank Offering
The Word of God is amazing. Throughout the scriptures, there is patterns and symmetry that prove that it is inspired. We can see Gods designs and patterns not only through types and parallels but also in numbers and the meaning of names of people and places. I believe these are part of the deep things of God:
1 Corinthians 2:7-10 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
It is important to note that parallels and patterns should never be used to form doctrine. However, they should be used to support what has been already been revealed by Gods Spirit through the clear teaching of the Word. In this series I want to explore the meaning and significance of numbers that have spiritual significance. I happen to like the number forty! Not so much the number itself but what it represents in scripture.
Forty A Period of Testing
The number forty is mentioned 157 times in Scripture. The number forty symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation.
Summary
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Number 40 In The Bible Symbolism
People born on the 4th build relationships with the environment slowly and with suspicion.
First, a person must make sure of the honesty of intentions and keep a new acquaintance at a distance.
Only being sure of the true reasons for the rapprochement, the carrier of forty is ready to communicate frankly.
Those born on the 4th are easy to communicate, often change the circle of acquaintances.
Such people do not hide their emotions, therefore they spoil relations with others. In choosing friends and partners, they are fastidious, but always decent and do not like insults.
Born on the 4th are famous for their uncompromising and decisiveness. They are responsible for loved ones and are vulnerable.
The number 40 in numerology has a mostly positive effect on the life and character of the wearer.
Such people strive for new knowledge and achievements, are not afraid of mistakes, always achieve their goals. The carriers of forty value freedom, they cannot be forced to do anything.
People with 40 digital combination make good careers, get high positions easily. Responsive and kind, they rarely lie they are used to achieving their goal in an honest way.
The number 40 also has a negative meaning. The bearers of the figure are fanatical and ambitious people who periodically do not notice their surroundings. If you train your willpower, develop spiritually, you can easily avoid shortcomings and feel only the positive influence of the digital combination.
Significance Of 40 In The Bible Pdf
- May 24, 2022November 26, 2022
The number 40 is significant in the Bible. It appears frequently in the Old Testament as a symbol of Gods forgiveness and His guidance, particularly in the lives of Abraham and Moses. In addition, while many people think of the number 40 as an arbitrary piece of trivia, it actually has some powerful ties to our world. For example: In Exodus 16:35-36, God gives Moses instructions for when his people are wandering in the desert for 40 years before they can enter Canaan. In Genesis 7:4-5, the flood lasts for 40 days and nights, during which time all of humanity is wiped from the face of the earth except Noah and his family who are saved on his ark in accordance with Gods will. In Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13, Jesus fasts for 40 days before being tempted by Satan in the wilderness after being baptized by John at Jordan River . In Acts 1:3-5, Peter speaks about how Jesus told him that he would be killed but rise again three days later on what would become known as Easter Sunday .
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Mercy & Repentance For The Least Redeemable A Reminder Of The Hope For Mankind
Jonah
Lets look at our last example of 40 in the bible, which is an interesting complement to other things weve learned. In the book of Jonah, God shows us response, reflection, and repentance from the least likely place.
In the book of Jonah, God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and cry out against it due to the wickedness of the people. Jonah flees, but Godusing a storm, a watery wilderness, and a giant fisheventually gets him right where He intended.
Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, a cruel and ruthless ancient people who eventually conquered and displaced the northern kingdom of Israel. Throughout the major and minor prophetical books, God often pronounces His intent to destroy Assyria, but also the ways in which He uses them to accomplish His destructive judgments.
With little choice in the matter, Jonah enters the city and walks around while crying out his message: Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown! To be honest, Im guessing there may have been a *little* more to it than that
Because, in an immense miracle, the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth . Even the king! God saw how they had responded to His word and turned from their evil ways, and decided not to destroy them.
Do we fall into the trap of using Gods word only to condemn others and justify ourselves, hoping that bad things happen to bad people rather than focusing on His love and plans of redemption for all mankind?
Number 40 In The Bible Meaning
Namely, Lent lasts for forty days. There are exactly 40 working days from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
Sundays are also in Lent and are otherwise exempt from a certain penitential character of this time because every Sunday, even Lent, has the seal of the Lords resurrection in the weekly rhythm of Christian life.
Namely, according to the chronology of the Gospels, Jesus was resurrected on the first day after the Sabbath, and hence on Sunday always that meaning.
That is why in the construction of the Lenten time before the first Sunday of Lent, these four days were added so that there would be exactly forty of them by Holy Saturday. This is where we meet the number forty.
It is a dedicated biblical number. First of all, in a certain sense, it is the number of active human age between the time of growing up and education and the time when one retires, i.e. the time of old age.
And in the Bible it is mainly a number dedicated to the walk of Gods people from Egypt to the Promised Land.
That march lasted forty years because it took some way for a whole generation to be cleansed of unbelief and rebellion against God.
In some places in the Bible we find the stressed number forty. At the time of Noah it rained for 40 days and 40 nights.
It is the time of the general flood. The prophet Elijah had to walk 40 days to the holy mountain of God.
So encouraged and strengthened, he was able to resist all the traps of the evil one.
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