At 12:15 AM 9/25/99 +0200, you wrote:
>What is the understanding of the number 40 as an idiom meaning a long time
>in Biblical Hebrew. Is this understanding legit?
yes- its merely a formulaic way of saying "a long time". See any commentary
on, for instance, the 40 years in the wilderness.
>
>Should 40 days/nights be taken as lit. or as an idiom or both?