I am stuck on the differences between the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint. Something that has been in the back of my head is Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (Dead Sea Scrolls & LXX reading):

“When the Most High (El Elyon) gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided mankind, He fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But YHWH’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted heritage.”

This raises compelling questions. Is El Elyon ("the Most High") distinct from YHWH in this passage? If El divided the nations among His sons, and YHWH received Israel, does that suggest that YHWH was originally understood as one of the divine sons—a national god assigned a specific people?

This idea echoes Psalm 82:1:

“God (Elohim) stands in the divine assembly; He judges among the gods.”

And in Psalm 82:6, God says:

“I said, you are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.”

Could these “sons” include YHWH? Or is this simply divine council language later reinterpreted?

Over time, church tradition increasingly identifies YHWH as the Most High Himself, especially in later writings (e.g. Isaiah 45:5: “I am YHWH, and there is no other.”). But the older layers of Scripture may reflect a time when El was seen as the high god, and YHWH as His appointed representative or son.

Is this evidence of evolving monotheism in ancient Israel? Or are we misunderstanding poetic or legal language?

🔍 What do you think—was YHWH always understood to be the Most High, or did Israel’s theology grow over time?

#yhwh #el #mosthigh #divinecouncil