Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 2:16/אבן עזרא על שמות ב׳:ט״ז
אולכהן. הוא יתרו ולא רעואל וכל כהן שבמקרא משרת הוא לשם או לעכו"ם, והעד וכהנו לי (למטה כח מא) וכהני ד' (ישעי' סא ו) ויתרו היה כהן לשם כאשר אפרש עוד:
1NOW THE PRIEST OF MIDIAN. The reference is to Jethro and not Reuel.145 The term kohen (priest) in Scripture refers to one who ministers either to the Lord or before an idol. That they may minister unto Me in the priest’s office (Ex. 28:41)146. If a kohen referred only to one who serves the Lord it would not be necessary to add the word li (unto me), as it would be understood that the reference is to priests of God. However, since one can also be a priest of idols the Bible adds the word li. The same is true with the priest of the Lord. If priests only referred to priests of the Lord there would be no reason for the Bible to add of the Lord. and the priests of the Lord (Is. 61:6) are proof of this. Jethro, as I will explain, was a priest of the Lord.147