How long did the Israelites stay in the wilderness?

I was told the time that the Jews kept was different from the Roman Calendar that we use today.

Is the 40 years actually forty years in todays sense or more like 4 years, 4 months, or another span of time? I read somewhere that Methusalah actually lived around 99 years instead of 999 because of the difference in the way Jewish and Roman time is kept. That's what makes me ask.How long did the Israelites stay in the wilderness?
I think it's probably exactly 40 years. They had to wander long enough such that the generation who (temporarily) reverted back to worship of Baal died out, so any less would not be long enough; any time longer would be adsurd.
The bible is a fascinating collection of Jewish folk lore and fairy tales . Does it really matter if they did or how long they did it? It's all in the moral of the story . Satellite images of the Sinai show bedouin camp sites that are over 2000 years old, no sign of 500,000 Jews wandering about. But the story has a moral and a lesson to teach. You could also argue the diameter of the bean stock that Jack cut down. As to the length of time that the Israelites were in the wilderness,one might argue that they are still there,if you take their treatment of the Palestinians as any indicationHow long did the Israelites stay in the wilderness?
When they exited Egypt, the Israelites traveled to Mt. Sinai, which the bible informs is in nothern Arabia, most likely in the eastern part of the land of Median, the country of Moses' father in law. From there they travel to the area around the Jordan River. Here they failed in faith and for forty years they wandered in the wilderness until God brought the remnant back to the promised land.
The biblical passage says 40 years. However "40" gets used a lot.



Methuselah's "999" could well have been Luna months.That would also explain some of the excessively long life spans found in the Bible. Using this method one could say he lived between 76 and 83 years.In a world where the average life expectancy was around 30, that would be a significant number.
not long enough