Origen, on Num 33:8

“And departing from Phihahiroth, they passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness: and having marched three days through the desert of Etham, they camped in Mara.”

“Helim [Elim] is where there are twelve springs of water and seventy-two palm trees. You see after bitterness, after the hardships of temptations, what pleasant places receive you! You would not have come to the palm trees unless you had endured the bitterness of temptations. Nor would you have come to the sweetness of the springs unless you had first overcome what was sad and harsh.… And Helim means "rams"; rams are the leaders of flocks. Thus who are the leaders of Christ's flock but the apostles, who are also the twelve springs? But since our Lord and Savior chose not only those twelve but also seventy-two others, there are not only twelve springs but also seventy-two palm trees mentioned in Scripture.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.