<P> Despite these passages identifying Yahweh as a son of El or some other affiliated deity, it is clearly shown from very early on, El was already considered synonymous with Yahweh, as merely different names for the same deity, as suggested in Exodus 6: 3, despite being originally separate . Historically, the identification of Yahweh as El by the Israelites was often presupposed; preserved texts rarely distinguish between the two, and there are no Biblical polemics against the worship of El . This contributed to the transformation of the Hebrew' el (Hebrew: אל ‎) into a generic term meaning "god", as opposed to the name of a worshipped deity . Epithets such as El Shaddai are likewise applied to Yahweh alone in later contexts in order to strengthen the position of Yahweh as the people's deity . </P> <P> Mark S. Smith sees the end of conflation of El and Yahweh as part of the process which he describes as "convergence" in the period of the Judges and the early monarchy, as described in the Tanakh . Convergence saw the coalescence of the qualities of other deities, and even the deities themselves, into Yahweh . Thus El became identified as a name of Yahweh, while Asherah ceased to be a distinct goddess, possibly becoming embodied as the feminine aspects of Shekinah . The attributes of El, Asherah, and Baal (notably, for Baal, his identification as a storm - god) were consequently assimilated into Yahweh . However, some scholars assert there is substantial evidence to support the Elyon / Yahweh distinction even into the Second Temple period . </P> <P> In the earliest literature such as the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15: 1--18, celebrating Yahweh's victory over Egypt at the exodus), Yahweh is a warrior for his people, a storm - god typical of ancient Near Eastern myths, marching out from a region to the south or south - east of Israel with the heavenly host of stars and planets that make up his army . Israel's battles are Yahweh's battles, Israel's victories are his victories, and while other peoples have other gods, Israel's god is Yahweh, who will procure a fertile resting - place for them: </P> <P> There is none like God, O Jeshurun (i.e., Israel) who rides through the heavens to your help...he subdues the ancient gods, shatters the forces of old...so Israel lives in safety, untroubled is Jacob's abode...Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread on their backs . (Deuteronomy 33: 26--29) </P>

Where is yahweh first mentioned in the bible