The number 40 shows up again and again in Scripture—forty days of rain in the flood, Moses’ forty days on Sinai, Jonah’s forty-day warning to Nineveh, Jesus’ forty days of fasting and testing. Even the reigns of Israel’s kings and the stages of Moses’ life are marked out in forties. While the Bible never spells out an explicit meaning, the patterns point to testing, completion, and eras of deep significance. From times of suffering and repentance to seasons of preparation and leadership, “forty” reminds us that God works through purposeful periods, shaping His people in ways that reveal His sovereignty and timing.