Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 19:12/אבן עזרא על במדבר י״ט:י״ב

איתחטא בו. יסור חטאו בו או כמו תחטאני באזוב ואטהר וידוע כי בסוד החשבון השלישי כמו השביעי:

1THE SAME SHALL PURIFY HIMSELF THEREWITH. The meaning of hu yitchate vo (the same shall purify himself therewith) is, he shall remove his sin therewith.²⁸ means sin. Hence I.E.’s interpretation. On the other hand, the word yitchate (shall purify himself) is similar to the word techatteni (purge me) in Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean (Ps. 51:9).²⁹ means purify. Those who are acquainted with the secret of numbers know that the number three is like the number seven.³⁰