Ephraem the Syrian
The portrayal of wives symbolizes the struggles and vulnerabilities of those who seek repentance and those who find themselves in a state of humility.
And thirty-two thousand persons of the female sex, that had not known men.
וְנֶ֣פֶשׁ אָדָ֔ם מִן־הַ֨נָּשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יָדְע֖וּ מִשְׁכַּ֣ב זָכָ֑ר כָּל־נֶ֕פֶשׁ שְׁנַ֥יִם וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים אָֽלֶף׃
One Church Father comments on this verse
The portrayal of wives symbolizes the struggles and vulnerabilities of those who seek repentance and those who find themselves in a state of humility.