Speaking symbolically, Absolutly! I also have these same questions, but just because something is symbolic, does't mean that it is not literal. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but let me give you some of my observations. The 4 generations and the 400 hundred years are both literal with the same endpoint but not the same start point.
The number 4 in scripture speaks of trial, testing, experience, and when applied to man, failure. I am being sketchy here for lack of time, but look at how many four's we have here. The children of Israel, 40 years in the wilderness; Abraham, the fouth day of the second creation; Numbers, the fourth book.(perhaps you have noticed by now, the theme in Numbers, experience wandering 40 years)
There were 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 more from David to the captivity, and 14 more to Christ. All these numbers are significant. The propetic character, eliminates the possibility, of extra generations.
All the details look forward to when, at the end of forty centuries, the trial of man ends, and judgement is carried out at the cross. Let me know if I need to explain further. I did not intend to connect the number 4 to number 14 (which is 2 sevens).
Yes, but doesn't the figure of 40 years simply come from the LORD punishing the Israelites by assigning one year for each day the spies were in Canaan (40 days [Num. 13:25] becomes 40 years [Num. 14:3]). I agree wholeheartily about that fact that something that is symbolic can also be literal, but I am just concerned about reading too much into the text.
There were 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 more from David to the captivity, and 14 more to Christ. All these numbers are significant. The propetic character, eliminates the possibility, of extra generations. All the details look forward to when, at the end of forty centuries, the trial of man ends, and judgement is carried out at the cross.
Again, this doesn't adress my question of when that specific generation left Egypt, could they have entered the land of Canaan? Would that have had such a detramental impact on the number of generations that God had planned on from Abraham to David?
So, again, did God have it in for that generation at the outset, or were they free to enter Canaan if they chose to be obidient to God, and they chose not to, thus incurring God's judgement on them?