Some critics assert that "El Shaddai" was a being later demonized in Psalm 106:37, condemned as one of the "devils"—the Canaanite shedim, to whom the Israelites sacrificed their sons and daughters.

The word in Psalm 106:37 comes from a root meaning to devastate or waste. Shaddai, however, comes from a slightly different root that implies power, including that to devastate. The words are related, as is appropriate since they are both used of supernatural and powerful beings, but it means no more than that the word "energy" might be applied both to natural gas and also to bicycle pedal power. They share an etymological link related to power, but do not refer to the same entity.