וְאֶלְעָזָ֨ר בֶּֽן־אַהֲרֹ֜ן לָקַֽח־ל֨וֹ מִבְּנ֤וֹת פּֽוּטִיאֵל֙ ל֣וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֔ה וַתֵּ֥לֶד ל֖וֹ אֶת־פִּֽינְחָ֑ס אֵ֗לֶּה רָאשֵׁ֛י אֲב֥וֹת הַלְוִיִּ֖ם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָֽם׃
And Eleazar Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’houses of the Levites according to their families.
Rashi on Exodus
מבנות פוטיאל ONE OF THE DAUGHTERS OF PUTIEL — of the family of Jethro (cf. Rashi on Exodus 4:18) who used to fatten (פטם) calves for idolatrous sacrifice, and of the family of Joseph who overcame (פטפט, who talked or argued with) his passion (Sotah 43a; Bava Batra 109b).
Sforno on Exodus
אלה ראשי אבות, just to tell us that Moses and Aaron were the respective heads of the Levites.
Siftei Chakhamim
Of the descendants of Yisro who fattened calves for idolatry. . . Rashi’s comment is based on Meseches Sotah (43a), that his father was from the tribe of Yoseif and his mother was from Yisro, or vice-versa. It seems to me that Rashi inferred this since פוטיאל is written with a yud, denoting plural. Alternatively, [Rashi inferred it] since it is written בנות , also plural, which tells us that Scripture mentions her lineage in two ways. We need not ask: Perhaps Putieil is simply the name of an [unknown] person? For the answer is: Rashi inferred that this is not so, since it says above: “Aharon took Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav. . . for a wife.” Thus we see that Scripture intends to explain the lineage. Here as well, Putieil is coming to explain the lineage [and thus cannot refer to an unknown person].