STRONGS NT 5063a: τεσσαρακοντατεσσαρες [τεσσαρακοντατεσσαρες, τεσσαρακοντατεσσαρων, forty-four: Revelation 21:17 Rec.bez elz.]

A single Greek adjective meaning “forty years old” or describing a span of “forty years.” In Scripture it points to decisive periods of preparation, testing, or completion in God’s redemptive plan.

Occurrences in the New Testament

• Acts 7:23 — “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.”
• Acts 13:18 — “He endured their conduct for about forty years in the wilderness.”

The first text speaks of a man’s age; the second, of a nation’s probationary span. Together they frame personal and corporate dimensions of God’s timing.

Biblical-Theological Significance

1. Maturity and Readiness

Moses’ fortieth year marks the close of his Egyptian upbringing and the threshold of a new calling. In biblical thought forty years often signals the completion of formative discipline, after which God introduces a fresh stage of service (compare Numbers 14:33-34; Judges 3:11; 2 Samuel 5:4).

2. Divine Patience and Covenant Faithfulness

Paul’s synagogue sermon (Acts 13) recalls the forty-year wilderness sojourn to highlight the LORD’s longsuffering. The same God who shaped Moses for forty years bore with Israel for forty more, underscoring His unwavering commitment to bring His purposes to fruition despite human failure.

3. Symbol of Testing and Transition

Forty appears in decisive junctures: the Flood rains (Genesis 7:12), Moses on Sinai (Exodus 24:18), Elijah’s journey (1 Kings 19:8), Jesus’ fasting (Matthew 4:2), and the forty days of post-resurrection appearances (Acts 1:3). The adjective under study folds this well-known motif into Luke’s narrative.

Historical Context

In the Greco-Roman world forty denoted full manhood and social competence. For Israel the number already carried historic weight; Luke’s use of the term therefore resonates with both Jewish memory and contemporary cultural expectations, assuring his audience that God acts within recognizable patterns of time.

Ministry Implications

• Preparation precedes commission. Believers may take courage that seasons of obscurity are not wasted; God matures His servants before public deployment.
• God’s patience toward communities sets the standard for pastoral endurance. Leaders are called to shepherd wayward people with the same sustained mercy displayed in the wilderness.
• Chronological markers in Scripture invite reflection on God’s sovereignty over life stages. Embracing His timetable fosters trust and obedience.

Related Old Testament Forty-Year Periods

Numbers 14:34; Deuteronomy 8:2; Joshua 5:6; Judges 5:31; 1 Samuel 4:18; 1 Kings 11:42; Ezekiel 29:11; Hebrews 3:9 repeats the wilderness warning for the church age, reinforcing the ongoing relevance of the pattern.

Key Takeaways

The two uses of Strong’s Greek 5063 crystallize a larger biblical theme: God employs forty-year seasons to shape deliverers and to prove His people. The term therefore becomes a narrative marker of divine preparation, testing, and faithfulness, encouraging readers to submit to the Lord’s perfect timing in their own pilgrimage.