Lexical Summary
arbaim: Forty
Original Word:אַרְבָּעִים
Part of Speech:noun plural indeclinable
Transliteration:arba`iym
Pronunciation:ar-bah-EEM
Phonetic Spelling:(ar-baw-eem')
KJV: forty
NASB:forty, fortieth, forty times
Word Origin:[multiple ofH702 (אַרבַּע אַרבָּעָה - four)]
1. forty
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
forty
Multiple ofarba'; forty -- -forty.
see HEBREWarba'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
arbaDefinitionforty
NASB Translation1,247* (2), 140* (1), 148* (1), 242* (1), 245* (3), 345* (2), 40,000* (5), 40,500* (3), 41,500* (2), 42* (2), 42,000* (1), 43,730* (1), 44,760* (1), 45* (1), 45,400* (1), 45,600* (1), 45,650* (2), 46,500* (2), 642* (2), 648* (1), 743* (2), 745* (1), 845* (1), 945* (1), fortieth (3), forty (73), forty times (1), forty-eight* (2), forty-first* (1), forty-five* (2), forty-nine* (1), forty-one* (4), forty-seven* (1), forty-two* (3), twenty-two* (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
136 ; —
sine num. al.:
usually apposition before noun, especially , (singular):Judges 3:11;1 Samuel 4:18;Amos 2:10;Amos 5:25 29t.;Genesis 7:17;1 Kings 19:8;Jonah 3:4 6t.,Genesis 7:4,12;Exodus 24:18 7t.; also1 Kings 7:38,2 Kings 8:9,Ezekiel 41:2 and ( omitted)Ezekiel 46:22, but1 Kings 6:17 (v: );Numbers 1:33;Numbers 2:19;Numbers 26:18;Joshua 4:13;Judges 5:8;2 Samuel 10:18;1 Kings 5:6;1 Chronicles 12:37 (van d. H. v.1 Chronicles 12:36),1 Chronicles 19:18 (see also below); rarely followed by plural noun,Judges 12:14,Exodus 26:19,21;Exodus 36:24,26 (P). — (As round numberGenesis 7:17;Judges 3:11;Judges 5:31;Judges 8:28;1 Samuel 4:18 +).
,Genesis 32:16 (E),Nehemiah 5:15.
noun omittedGenesis 18:29,Genesis 18:29;Deuteronomy 25:3forty (blows) may he smite him.
with other numbers:
before unit, + singular noun:, 40 11 Kings 14:21;1 Kings 15:10;2 Kings 14:23; 4022Chron 22:20,2 Kings 10:14,Numbers 35:6, +Judges 12:6; 405Joshua 14:10 (JE), etc. (12 t.); + plural noun2 Kings 2:24; after plural noun 4051 Kings 7:3; noun omitted 40 5Genesis 18:28, compareEzra 2:24 =Nehemiah 7:28.
, 9 40Leviticus 25:8 (H); 1 40Numbers 1:41;Numbers 2:28, etc. (9 t. Numbers, P).
with hundreds, 40 800Genesis 5:18 (P); 100 40Job 42:16; + units, 7 40100Genesis 47:28 (P); but (Ezra Nehemiah, mostly predicate, without noun), 900 405Ezra 2:8, compareEzra 2:25;Nehemiah 7:62, and ( without ) 600, 40 2Ezra 2:10, see also ""Nehemiah 7:15;Ezra 2:34 =Nehemiah 7:36;Ezra 2:66 =Nehemiah 7:68 (ver. omitted Baer Gi),Nehemiah 7:13,29,44; Nehemiah 1000, 200, 40 7Ezra 2:38 =Nehemiah 7:41; plural noun 200 405Nehemiah 7:67, plural noun 200, 40 + 2;Nehemiah 11:13; also singular noun 700, 40 5Jeremiah 52:30.
,Deuteronomy 1:3in the fortieth year; alsoNumbers 33:38;1 Chronicles 26:31; 2Chronicles 16:13in the forty-first year
Topical Lexicon
Overviewארבעים (ʾarbāʿîm, “forty”) appears about one hundred thirty-five times in the Hebrew Scriptures, most frequently designating units of time (days or years), sometimes counting people, measures, or lashes. The number marks transitional moments in redemptive history, framing eras of testing, judgment, preparation, and completion.
Biblical Symbolism of Forty
The pattern of forty in Scripture consistently signals a divinely appointed period that brings an old order to an end and ushers in a new beginning. Whether describing days of rain, years of wilderness wandering, or seasons of royal rule, forty underscores both the faithfulness of God and the responsiveness He seeks in His people.
Foundations in Primeval History
•Genesis 7:4 records the first forty: “For seven days from now, I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights”. The deluge both judged wickedness and provided a fresh start through Noah.
•Genesis 25:20 andGenesis 26:34 note that Isaac and Esau each married at forty years of age, anchoring family transitions within this numeric motif.
•Genesis 32:15 lists herds in groups of forty, illustrating plenitude and order within Jacob’s gift to Esau.
Covenantal Testing: Exodus and Wilderness
•Exodus 24:18; 34:28;Deuteronomy 9:9-18—Moses remained on Sinai forty days and nights, receiving covenant law.
•Numbers 13:25—The spies explored Canaan forty days; rebellion resulted in forty years of wandering (Numbers 14:33-34).
•Deuteronomy 2:7 looks back: “These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” Israel’s wilderness discipline refined a nation for promised-land life.
Cycles of Judges and Monarchy
• Judges alternates between forty years of oppression and forty years of peace or leadership (Judges 3:11; 5:31; 8:28; 13:1). The number structures Israel’s history, highlighting covenant blessings when the nation repents and burdens when it turns away.
• Each of Israel’s first united monarchs reigned forty years—Saul (Acts 13:21), David (1 Kings 2:11), and Solomon (1 Kings 11:42). The length conveys governmental completeness, rooting national identity in God’s sovereign timing.
•2 Samuel 15:7 (with a textual variant) and1 Kings 19:8 (Elijah’s forty-day journey to Horeb) draw prophetic leaders into this paradigm.
Prophetic Declarations and Warnings
• Ezekiel lay on his right side forty days to bear Judah’s iniquity (Ezekiel 4:6).
• Jonah proclaimed: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). The impending judgment called forth repentance, displaying God’s mercy within a set probationary window.
•Ezekiel 29:11-13 forecasts Egypt’s desolation for forty years, after which restoration would follow.
Legal and Ritual Boundaries
•Deuteronomy 25:3 fixes the maximum judicial beating at forty lashes, safeguarding human dignity.
•Leviticus 12:2-6 counts forty days (a week plus thirty-three) for the purification of a woman after bearing a male child, integrating bodily cycles with holiness.
Military and Warfare Contexts
•1 Samuel 17:16—Goliath taunted Israel “morning and evening for forty days,” heightening the dramatic tension before David’s victory.
•Judges 20:43 counts “about forty thousand” Benjaminites who fell, marking decisive judgment in civil war.
Literary and Poetic Employment
Wisdom literature occasionally uses forty as a round number denoting abundance or totality (e.g.,Job 42:16 records Job living another forty years after his restoration).
Christological Trajectory
Although Greek τεσσεράκοντα appears in the New Testament, the Old Testament use of ארבעים foreshadows key gospel events:
• Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness, succeeding where Israel failed (Matthew 4:2).
• After His resurrection, He taught the apostles forty days before ascending (Acts 1:3).
The continuity of forty across covenants highlights God’s unchanging method of preparing servants and revealing His kingdom.
Pastoral and Devotional Insights
1. Seasons marked by forty remind believers that trials are purposeful and time-bounded.
2. Divine instruction (Sinai), repentance opportunities (Nineveh), and leadership formation (wilderness, Elijah) come in measured spans, encouraging patience and trust.
3. The rhythmic appearance of forty testifies that history is not random; every epoch, individual calling, or correction unfolds under the precise governance of the Lord.
For study and ministry, tracing each instance of ארבעים unveils a tapestry of divine order, reinforcing confidence that God completes what He begins—often in fortieth-shaped increments.
Forms and Transliterations
אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים אַרְבָּעִ֑ים אַרְבָּעִ֔ים אַרְבָּעִ֖ים אַרְבָּעִ֣ים אַרְבָּעִ֤ים אַרְבָּעִ֥ים אַרְבָּעִ֨ים אַרְבָּעִים֙ ארבעים בְּאַרְבָּעִ֣ים בְּאַרְבָּעִ֥ים בארבעים הָֽאַרְבָּעִ֗ים הָֽאַרְבָּעִ֜ים הָאַרְבָּעִֽים׃ הארבעים הארבעים׃ וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים וְאַרְבָּעִ֛ים וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים וְאַרְבָּעִ֤ים וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים וְאַרְבָּעִים֙ וארבעים כְּאַרְבָּעִ֥ים כארבעים ’ar·bā·‘îm ’arbā‘îm arbaIm bə’arbā‘îm bə·’ar·bā·‘îm bearbaIm hā’arbā‘îm hā·’ar·bā·‘îm haarbaIm kə’arbā‘îm kə·’ar·bā·‘îm kearbaIm vearbaIm wə’arbā‘îm wə·’ar·bā·‘îm
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