What was the difference between ancient Hebrew and ancient Egyptian beliefs

The early Hebrew beliefs were much more like those of their West Semitic neighbours and the Mesopotamian religions. Many of the gods worshipped by the earlier Israelites were also gods of the Palestinian and Syrian regions, while the story of the biblical Flood shows clear parallels to the earlier Flood story in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

There are some hints of Egyptian influence. For example, the Egyptians had an ancient folk story of seven lean years followed by good harvests, which is arguably reflected in the story of Joseph; on the other hand, the story of the seven lean years could equally have been influenced by the Epic of Gilgamesh. The story of Joshua, son of Nun, could also have been influenced by the Egyptians, but most of the religious content is local.

While some beliefs are almost universal, the early Egyptian beliefs were largely unique to Egypt, much of it revolving around the Nile River. The Egyptian concept of syncretism, in which a god could take on features of another god, thus for example Amon-Ra, had no corresponding feature in Hebrew religion.

In later times, the kingdom of Judah adopted monotheism, a concept that had also been attempted in Egypt, but without success.