It is necessary to be aware that such expressions that seem “monotheist” to us are not “monotheist” in essence. These expressions are mostly expressions formed in competition between the cults of different gods. What we have here is “megateism”, not monotheism. My god is not the only one, but he is the “biggest (mega)”.

In the epigraphic data we already encounter the phrase “There is only one God in the sky!” Even expressions such as these are not monotheistic; they are expressions used by people to glorify their religion in the competition between cults. Even Jews in ancient times simply accepted the existence of other diagnoses. “What did it mean to “believe” in a single god in ancient times? “Such a belief would not require doubting the existence of other gods.” “The gods of other nations were real [to the Jews].” | Paula Fredriksen

“Monotheism may seem like a sharp antithesis to polytheism, but there has been no sudden leap from one to the other… Where we see one god emerge with full authority, the existence of other gods is not denied, but their importance/status is diminished.” | M.L. West