"40 Days" in the Bible

40 Days

Levitical law

• A woman must purify herself 40 days after giving birth to a male (Exodus 13; Leviticus 12)

Patriarchal period

• Noah's flood (Genesis 7:12)
• Egyptians spent 40 days embalming Jacob's body (Genesis 50:3)

Life of Moses

• On Mt. Sinai (Exodus 24:18; Deuteronomy 9:11)
• Interceding for Israelites after Mt. Sinai (Deuteronomy 9:18,25)
• On Mt. Sinai again (Exodus 34; Deuteronomy 10:10)

Israelites

• Spies in Canaan (Numbers 13:25)
• Cowering under Goliath before David's arrival (1 Samuel 17:16)
• Elijah's route to Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19:8)
• Number of days before prophesied overthrow of Nineveh if they wouldn't repent (Jonah 3:4)
• Ezekiel laid on his side (Ezekiel 4:6)

Life of Jesus

• Presented in temple after birth, in accordance with Levitical law (Luke 2:22)
• Temptation the wilderness (Matthew 4:2; Luke 4:2)
• Time between resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:3)