The number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation.
Something interesting about the 40 day flood is that the number 40 in Hebrew is mem (ם). Mem is believed to derive from the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for water, which had been simplified by the Phoenicians and named after their word for "water", mem (𐤌), ultimately coming from Proto-Semitic *may-.
The number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation.
Something interesting about the 40 day flood is that the number 40 in Hebrew is mem (ם). Mem is believed to derive from the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for water, which had been simplified by the Phoenicians and named after their word for "water", mem (𐤌), ultimately coming from Proto-Semitic *may-.