It seems that at least twice in history, monotheism spontaneously emerged in a culture that had previously been polytheistic, along with a reaction of disgust and hostility towards polytheism and idolatry. Do we know what factors contributed to these changing values and taboos?

I have recently been reading both the Old Testament and parts of the Quran and something that struck me about both materials was how much revulsion the authors appeared to have towards not only worshipping "other gods", but also making an image of "God". These actions are often implicated, if not outright stated, to be the worst sins you could commit.

However, both cultures where this belief set arose, had previously practiced and were inundated with polytheism and idol worship. It is my understanding that many scholars argue that the Israelites had worshipped gods like Baal and Asherah for a long time, and that the Old Testament's insistence on the through-line of single-deity YHWH worship is a bit revisionist. Similarly, the Arabic peoples of Mecca and the surrounding areas worshipped multiple deities, including many idols at the Kaaba before Mohammed's takeover.

However, unlike other times throughout history when cultures drastically changed their religious beliefs, like after the arrival of missionaries and heavy proselytization, I can't really determine the precipitating events that would have led to these switch-ups. If your neighbors, family, and perhaps even you had previously worshipped various different idols, what would suddenly make you decide that this was absolutely unacceptable and even a horrifying practice? Where did these ideas come from, and were there economic, environmental, or other material factors that influenced them? Or am I missing something, and there is more context of a battling polytheistic/monotheistic tradition that I am unaware of?