The number 38 is associated with a period of wandering, waiting, and divine judgment in biblical tradition.
In Deuteronomy 2:14 it is mentioned that the Israelites wandered for 38 years from Kadesh-Barnea until they crossed the Zered Brook, a period during which the entire generation of warriors died out as a result of God's judgment after the people refused to enter the Promised Land. In John 5:5, the man at the Pool of Bethesda had been sick for 38 years before Jesus healed him. The number thus carries connotations of prolonged trial, judgment, and ultimately deliverance or breakthrough. Several interpreters, including early church fathers and more recent commentators, have seen a deliberate parallel between Israel's 38-year wilderness wandering period and the 38-year illness of the man at the Pool of Bethesda. In both cases, a long period of suffering and waiting ends with divine intervention and breakthrough. The number 38 also appears in chronological references during the monarchy: Ahab became king over Israel in the 38th year of Asa's reign in Judah (1 Kings 16:29), and Zechariah became king over Israel in the 38th year of Azariah's reign (2 Kings 15:8). These references are primarily chronological and are usually not assigned independent symbolic meaning.*