Monotheism from Terah to post-Babylonian exile

Terah was a polytheist. His son Nahor and his great-grandson Laban were polytheists.

Abram was a son of Terah. Genesis 12:

1 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.

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Abram was to worship the LORD with no idol representations. He probably acknowledged the existence of other gods/idols as his grandson Jacob did (Genesis 28:20-21). Centuries later, the LORD demonstrated his superiority over Egypt's idols and brought the Israelites out. Moses made it clear in Ex 20:

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.

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More centuries later, David was a man after God's own heart (1Sa 13:14). Still, his wife Michal had an idol in the house (1Sa 19:13). After he took over King Saul, he declared in Psalm 18:

31 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?

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This reflected David's belief in the exclusivity and supremacy of Yahweh.

His son Solomon knew this. He built the temple and dedicated it to the LORD, 1K 8:

23 and said “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 24 You have kept Your promise to Your servant, my father David. What You spoke with Your mouth You have fulfilled with Your hand this day."

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However, later in his life, Solomon's devotion to monotheism wavered. The Bible recorded that Solomon's many foreign wives led him to worship other gods, such as Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Molek (1 Kings 11:4-8). It led to God's displeasure and the eventual division of the kingdom after Solomon's death (1 Kings 11:9-13).

The Northern Kingdom of Israel worshiped mostly idols, beginning with Jeroboam, who set up golden calves in Bethel and Dan to prevent the people from going to Jerusalem in Judah to worship (1 Kings 12:28-30).

After the Babylonian exile, the Jewish people returned to their homeland with a renewed commitment to monotheism and the exclusive worship of Yahweh. The exile had a profound impact on the Jewish community, leading to a stronger emphasis on the worship of Yahweh alone and a rejection of idolatry, which had been a recurring issue before the exile.