Yahweh

Yahweh was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. His worship may have started at least at the early Iron Age, and most likely to the Late Bronze Age (if not earlier.) In the oldest writings of the Bible (Torah) he has characteristics that typical weather and war gods have, like making the land bear fruit and sending his heavenly armies to go against Israel's enemies. The early people of Israel were polytheistic and worshipped not Yahweh alone but a lot of Canaanite gods and goddesses. These include El, Asherah, and Baal. In later centuries, the deities of El and Yahweh were combined, and because of this, Yahweh won the qualities of El. This made titles that were supposed to be only applied to El, like El Shaddai, be applied to Yahweh alone. Other Caananite gods and goddesses, such as Baal and Asherah, were absorbed into the Yahwism fully.

 See also 

 Jehovah
 YHWH

 References 

Category:Articles containing Hebrew-language text
Category:Conceptions of God
Category:Creator gods and goddesses