Sacred Numbers
40
Testing / Trial / Purification
Traditions
| Tradition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Biblical | Rain fell 40 days/nights (Flood). Moses on Sinai 40 days. Israel wandered 40 years. Spies explored Canaan 40 days. Elijah walked 40 days to Horeb. Jesus tempted 40 days. Jesus appeared 40 days after Resurrection |
| Catholic | Lent = 40 days. Period of trial AND God’s faithfulness through the trial |
| Jewish | 40 weeks of human gestation. 40 se’ah of water for a mikvah (ritual bath). 40 days from conception to formation of the embryo |
| Masonic | Not prominently featured |