The time is literally “the days.” But this obviously refers to the time period defined at the end of the verse. Because of the length of this period, the word “days” will be inappropriate in many languages in this context.

All Israel: Unlike verse 37, where “Israel” refers to the northern kingdom of ten tribes, here Israel refers to the united kingdom. The qualifying word all should help to make this clear.

Forty years: The number forty was the traditional number used to refer to one generation. The number forty is often used in the Old Testament as a round number to indicate a long period of time rather than a precise number of years. Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years (Deut 2.7; Josh 5.6). Othniel (Jdg 3.11), Gideon (Jdg 8.28), Eli (1 Sam 4.18), Saul (Acts 13.21), David (2 Sam 5.4; 1 Kgs 2.11), and Joash (2 Kgs 12.1) are all said to have ruled for forty years. The Philistines ruled Israel for forty years (Jdg 13.1), and God promised to punish Egypt for forty years (Ezek 29.11-12).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .