Why does the Bible mention 40 years so often?

Answer 1

A:Multiples of 20 are easy to remember when reciting stories. Much of the material in the earlier books of the Old Testament began as traditions passed down orally, before being written down and redacted later in the first millennium BCE. We find, for example, that the major judges were all associated with multiples of 20 years. Then we find that the Israelites wandred for 40 years during the Exodus and that both King David and King Solomon ruled for exactly 40 years. These periods should not be regarded even as approximations, but as numbers that assisted in oral transmission.