Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible

by John H. Walton

What attributes did Yahweh have that other deities were not believed to have? Prominent on the list would be those attributes relating to monotheism and formal relationships. He was jealous of any act that acknowledged other gods, and he was faithful to his covenant. Thus, though Yahweh was viewed as intensely personal, this did not lead to a polytheism that provided him with a divine community. Instead, people are created to serve as community for him, and the covenant eventually comes to give structure to that community. Inversely, what attributes did Yahweh not have that other deities possessed? This list would include those attributes that assumed a polytheistic system or human foibles, such as craftiness, lust, deception, sexuality, and a host of others. Many more items would be included on this list than the previous one because the baser qualities