Today, most people think of the
Bible as monotheistic. By this, they mean that YHWH is the only deity who
exists. However, for biblical texts from the preexilic period, this is far from
the case. A clear example is the Song of the Sea (Exod 15:1-18). Most scholars
identify this passage as one of the Bible’s oldest—possibly tracing to the end
of the Late Bronze Age (1600-1200 BCE). Praising YHWH for defeating Pharaoh
during the exodus, the speaker declares,
Who is like you, O Lord, among
the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders?
(Exod 15:11)
The Song straightforwardly acknowledges
that other gods exist. The point is not that YHWH is the only god but
rather he is the best god. Scholars call this “monolatry.” (Ethan
Schwartz, Unity and Disunity in Isaiah [Cascade Companions; Eugene,
Oreg.: Cascade Books, 2026], 51, italics in original)
