Results 1 - 4 of 4
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | significance of the number forty | Matt 4:2 | 3808 | |||
what is the significance of the number forty in the bible? it is referred to often. | ||||||
2 | significance of the number forty | Matt 4:2 | Hank | 3809 | ||
Forty, as in Matthew 4:2, Jesus fasted "forty days and forty nights" is a common expression in both Testaments. John MacArthur in his study Bible (Word Publishing) appends this note to Matthew 12:40 which says in part: An expression like "forty days and forty nights" may in some cases simply refer to a period of time longer than a month. A common expression in modern English is "a month of Sundays." We understand that to mean a considerable length of time but not necessarily 30 weeks. It would appear that the Jewish expression of "forty days" had a similiar meaning. -Hank | ||||||
3 | significance of the number forty | Matt 4:2 | gmsmith101 | 4335 | ||
I disagree with John MacArthur on this one (doesn't happen often--I respect him very much). I believe--and you won't find this anywhere in Scripture, except maybe in principle, so don't ask for a chapter and verse--that the number forty signifies purification or cleansing. Here are some examples: 1. The Flood lasted forty days--Gen. 7:17. 2. Forty days were required to embalm Israel--Gen. 50:3. 3. Moses was on the mountain with God for forty days--Deut. 9:9. 4. Elijah fasted for forty days--1 Kings 19:1-8. 5. Ezekiel was lying on his side for the sins of his people for forty days--Ezek. 4:6. 6. And of course, Jesus walked the earth for forty days after His resurrection. There are many more examples of this principle in the Bible. I hope it helps and makes sense! |
||||||
4 | significance of the number forty | Matt 4:2 | Hank | 4352 | ||
The number "forty" could well be tied in with purification or cleansing periods in the examples you cite, or even with times of testing, such as Jesus' forty days and nights in the wilderness. Your interpretation makes as good a sense as any if one presumes any symbolic significance to the number. It does not seem to be in serious conflict with John MacArthur's view -- that forty simply means forty, or that forty is a Hebrew figure of speech to indicate a period of time longer than a month. Whatever the specific meaning may be, we can be sure from the internal evidence that Noah's Flood was considerably more than a rain shower and that Jesus' fast involved significantly more than going without lunch for a day. At all events, the time frames are subordinate in importance to the stirring dramas that took place within them. --Hank | ||||||