I heard an interesting fact yesterday on Catholic Answers Live radio show. The question pertained to the meaning of 40 in Scripture (as it pertains to Lent). The guest, Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, said that the number 40 has a natural connection: It is the average number of weeks of a human pregnancy (give or take a couple). So the number 40 has to do with creation, with bringing something forth. That explains why the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert (God was "giving birth" to them, forming them and perfecting them), why Jesus spent 40 days in the desert (he was preparing himself for his ministry, at least in one Gospel account), why Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai (giving birth to the Decalogue, as it were), and so on.
I had never heard this before so I found it fascinating.
