Jehovah Among the Elohim: The Shattering of Monotheistic Assumptions

One of the most provocative and illuminating arguments Moncure Daniel Conway (1879) advances in Demonology and Devil-Lore is his reexamination of Jehovah (Yahweh) not as the singular, supreme deity from the outset of Hebrew scripture, but as one among a plurality of gods also known as the Elohim. This is a perspective supported not only by textual nuance in the Hebrew Bible but also by broader mythological evidence from the ancient Near East where the first Hebrew people lived after living the city of Ur in Chaldea when Abraham left that place with Loth.

This view shared by Conway directly challenges the retroactive monotheism often imposed upon the Old Testament and taught through religious indoctrination among those of us who were raised as either Catholic or Christians. Instead, it aligns with modern biblical scholarship and ancient Semitic mythology, which present Yahweh as a younger member of a divine family, one whose rise to supremacy is historically and politically conditioned (Conway, 1879).

The Divine Council and the Elohim

The term Elohim (plural of El) appears over 2,500 times in the Hebrew Bible (GotQuestions, 2022). While often treated as a singular noun due to its verb agreement (e.g., "Elohim creates"), its plural morphology indicates an older mythological context, one in which “El, the general term for “deity” in Semitic languages [is] as well as the name of the chief deity of the West Semites. In the ancient texts from Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) in Syria, El was described as the titular head of the pantheon, husband of Asherah, and father of all the other gods” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1998). This divine council is clearly described in Psalm 82:1:

And the assembly is also found in the Ugaritic texts (14th–13th centuries BCE) (Wyatt 2002). In these texts, El is called the “Father of gods,” and his sons include Baʿal, Yam, Mot, and Shachar and Shalim, among others (El – Wendag, 2019). Yahweh, as scholars now argue, was one of these children, later adopted and adapted by the Israelites.

The Siblings of Yahweh in Semitic Tradition

Drawing from Ugaritic and biblical sources, here is an extensive list of divine figures that were considered siblings or peers of Yahweh in early Semitic mythology:

Divine Siblings or Peers of Yahweh (Among the Elohim)

Name	Role/Domain	Notes
Baal (Hadad)	Storm and fertility god	Major god in Canaan; competitor with Yahweh in early Israel
Yam	Sea god	Fought Baal; possibly linked to the chaos of the primordial sea
Mot	God of death	Baal’s adversary; associated with the underworld
Shachar	God of dawn	Twin of Shalim, associated with transitions of time
Shalim	God of dusk	Symbol of peace and the setting sun
Resheph	God of plague and war	Appears in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Deut. 32:24; Hab. 3:5)
Kothar-wa-Khasis	Craftsman god	Similar to Hephaestus or Ptah; divine artisan
Qetesh	Goddess of sacred ecstasy	Possibly connected to Asherah or Astarte
Anat	Goddess of war and fertility	Baal’s sister; appears in some biblical place names
Asherah (Athirat)	Mother goddess, El’s consort	Linked to sacred trees; associated with Yahweh in early cult sites

In some early Israelite traditions, Yahweh may have shared a consort with El, namely, Asherah. Archaeological evidence, such as the Kuntillet Ajrud inscriptions (ca. 800 BCE), mentions “Yahweh and his Asherah”, indicating that even Yahweh’s cult may have acknowledged a divine partner before later theological reforms removed her.

Yahweh’s Rise to Supremacy

Conway (1879) underscores that Yahweh’s elevation above his siblings was not immediate but gradual and political:

This is reinforced in Deuteronomy 32:8–9, based on older manuscript traditions:

Here, Yahweh is assigned Israel, just as other gods are assigned other nations, a clear reflection of henotheism, worshipers of “one god but does not deny that there are others” n.d.), not yet full monotheism. Later redactors revised such passages to support theological uniformity, aligning with the Deuteronomistic reforms under King Josiah (Omosor 2016).

Moral Implications of a Tribal Deity

The vision of Yahweh in early texts as a jealous, violent, possessive god is consistent with his role as a competitive member of the Elohim. Conway notes that such traits:

This framework helps explain passages where Yahweh acts destructively or seems morally inconsistent (e.g., ordering genocide in Canaan, punishing entire generations). These actions become more comprehensible when seen not as universal moral imperatives, but as the behavior of a local deity in the process of conquest, both celestial and terrestrial (Moat 2020).

Conclusion

Moncure D. Conway’s observation that Jehovah was once one among many is not simply a literary curiosity. It radically reconfigures how we interpret early Hebrew religion, shifting our understanding from divinely ordained monotheism to a human-constructed theological evolution. Yahweh’s divine siblings, drawn from Ugaritic and biblical texts, represent a lost pantheon, erased on purpose, but not forgotten.

As Conway concludes:

📚 References

Armstrong, K. (1993). A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. New York: Ballantine Books.

Conway, M. D. (1879). Demonology and Devil-Lore, Volumes I & II. London: Chatto & Windus.
Available at Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/demonologydevill01conw

Dever, W. G. (2005). Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

El - Wendag - Debat oor Christendom en Godsdiens. (2019, March 22). Wendag - Debat Oor Christendom En Godsdiens. https://www.wendag.com/forum/forum/artikels/mesopotami-sumeri-rs/1204-el

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998, July 20). El | Hebrew God, Creator, Supreme Being. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/El

henotheism. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henotheism

GotQuestions. (2022). What is the meaning of the word Elohim? https://www.gotquestions.org/meaning-of-Elohim.html#:~:text=Answer,of%20El%E2%80%9D)%20are%20examples.

Moat, S. 2020. Native Deities and Multiple Identities: An Anthropological Approach to Reconceptualising Divine Marriage in the Roman Provinces. Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal, 3(1): 8, pp. 1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.408

Omosor, O.F. (2016). Deuteronomistic Redaction and the Emergence of דָהֶיהוה־א (Yahweh-Alone) Theology: An Exegetical Study. International Journal of Theology and Reformed Tradition. Vol. 8. https://academicexcellencesociety.com/deuteronomistic_redaction_and_the_emergence.pdf

Smith, M. S. (2001). The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV). Crossway, 2001.

Wyatt, N. (2002). Religious Texts from Ugarit: The Words of Ilimilku and His Colleagues. Sheffield Academic Press.

Key Scholars Supporting the View That Yahweh Had Siblings Among the Elohim by Jonathan Acuña

9 Suggested Topics for Exploration

For readers intrigued by the idea that Jehovah was once one deity among many, there are several related themes worth exploring. These topics bridge mythology, comparative religion, and biblical interpretation, offering multiple entry points for deeper reflection.

1.    The Elohim as a Divine Council
Explore the concept of the Elohim in Genesis not as a plural of majesty but as a literal council of gods, similar to those found in Ugaritic and Mesopotamian mythologies.

2.    Jehovah’s Siblings in Ancient Near Eastern Mythology
Investigate the divine family tree of which Jehovah was once a member, focusing on Baal, Yam, Mot, Asherah, and others. How did these siblings compete or coexist in the pantheon?

3.    The Transformation of Jehovah into Yahweh Alone
Trace the theological and political processes through which Jehovah became the supreme God of Israel, eclipsing his divine siblings to establish monotheism.

4.    The Role of Samael and the Origins of Evil
Examine how the figure of Samael evolved from a divine being into a demonized adversary, linked to Eve, Lilith, and Cain, reshaping ideas of sin and evil in Jewish and Christian thought.

5.    Comparative Trinities in World Mythology
Discuss the presence of triadic structures (such as Father, Mother, Son or Sky, Earth, Underworld) in Hinduism, Egyptian religion, and Greco-Roman mythology, showing how the Trinity predates Christianity.

6.    The Kabbalistic Legacy of Divine Dualities and Powers
Consider how Jewish mysticism reinterpreted figures like Samael, Lilith, and Cain within its symbolic framework, blending myth, morality, and cosmic balance.

7.    Moral Implications of a Warring God
Reflect on how Jehovah’s role as a warrior deity (conquering Canaan, punishing peoples) influences modern perceptions of divine justice and violence.

8.    From Polytheism to Monotheism: A Cultural Shift
Analyze how Israel’s move from polytheism to strict monotheism mirrors broader human religious development, shaped by conquest, exile, and identity.

9.    Literature and Myth: Echoes of the Elohim in Modern Texts
Explore how myths about Jehovah, Samael, Cain, and the divine siblings reappear in literature, from Milton’s Paradise Lost to modern fantasy, as humanity continues to wrestle with divine complexity.