Jewish tradition has some pretty strong opinions on that. And, spoiler alert: it doesn't end well.
Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash (interpretive stories) on the Book of Exodus, dives deep into this very idea. It identifies four historical figures who, in their arrogance, essentially declared themselves divine. And each one faced a rather humbling comeuppance.
First up is Ḥiram, the King of Tyre. (Ezekiel 28:2) quotes him as saying, "I am a god." Not a great move. According to (Ezekiel 28:17), his pride led to his downfall: "Your heart was elevated because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness; I have cast you to the ground." Ouch.
Then there's Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king. He takes it a step further, proclaiming in (Isaiah 14:14): "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." The nerve! God's response? According to (Isaiah 14:15), "Yet you shall be brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit." And as if that weren't enough, (Daniel 4:30) tells us he was driven into the wilderness, forced to eat grass like an animal! Midrash Rabbah even suggests the animals abused him there, referencing (Habakkuk 2:17) by drawing a parallel to the prohibition against intermarriage in (Deuteronomy 7:3). However, even in his madness, (Daniel 4:31) says that Nebuchadnezzar eventually acknowledged God and regained his understanding. Talk about a humbling experience!
Of course, we can't forget Pharaoh. He boasts in (Ezekiel 29:3), "My river is mine, and I have made it for myself." This declaration of self-sufficiency, of denying God's role in even the natural world, sealed his fate. (Jeremiah 44:30) foretells his demise at the hands of his enemies. The Midrash connects Pharaoh's downfall with a loss of power and status, comparing him to a woman whose hair is loosened in humiliation, referencing (Numbers 5:18) and (Isaiah 19:16).
Finally, there's Yoash, King of Judah. After the death of Yehoyada, as we read in II (Chronicles 24:17), the princes of Judah prostrated themselves before him, effectively treating him as a deity. The Midrash suggests that they convinced him he was divine because he emerged unharmed from the Holy of Holies after seven years. Big mistake. II (Chronicles 24:23-25) details how he was attacked by the Aramean army, suffered great diseases, and was denied burial in the royal tombs. The Midrash cleverly interprets the word "shefatim" (judgments) in II (Chronicles 24:24) as "shefutim" (exposed), drawing a parallel to (Ezekiel 23:10), emphasizing the public shame and humiliation he suffered.
So, what's the takeaway here? Why does God react so strongly to these displays of hubris? Well, Shemot Rabbah suggests it's about setting the record straight. As (Ecclesiastes 5:7) puts it, "For one higher than the high is watching, and there are higher than they." There's always someone—or rather, Some One—above. God tells Moses, "See, I have set you as god to Pharaoh," to demonstrate that even those who believe themselves to be all-powerful are ultimately subject to a higher authority.
The Midrash emphasizes that God sees and judges the haughty, rendering them despicable in the eyes of the world. Rabbi Berekhya points out that while God's eyes range over the entire earth (Zechariah 4:10), He particularly focuses on those who elevate themselves, ensuring their downfall. Like Sennacherib, whose army was famously decimated by an angel in II (Kings 19:35).
Rabbi Binyamin bar Levi offers a powerful image: If someone studies Torah in private, God will make them known to the people. But if someone engages in idol worship in secret, God will also make them known. As (Jeremiah 23:24) asks, "Can a man hide himself in secret places and I will not see him?"
Ultimately, this passage from Shemot Rabbah is a potent reminder that true power and authority belong to God alone. Attempts to usurp that power, to declare oneself divine, are not only futile but ultimately lead to humiliation and destruction. It's a cautionary tale about the dangers of pride and the importance of recognizing our place in the grand scheme of things. So, maybe next time you're feeling a little too good about yourself, remember Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar – it might just save you from a similar fate.
Pharaoh was one of four people who rendered themselves deities and [thereby] caused themselves harm, and they are: Ḥiram, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, and Yoash king of Judah. Ḥiram, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Say to the prince of Tyre…and you said: I am a god” (Ezekiel 28:2). From where is it derived that he destroyed himself? It is as it is stated: “Your heart was elevated because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness; I have cast you to the ground, I have placed you before kings to gaze upon you” (Ezekiel 28:17). Nebuchadnezzar, from where is it derived that he rendered himself a deity? It is as it is written: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Yet you shall be brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (Isaiah 14:15). What did the Holy One blessed be He do to him? He exiled him to the wilderness while he was still reigning, and fed him grass like animals [eat], as it is stated: “And ate grass like oxen” (Daniel 4:30). And the animals and the beasts would see him in the image of a female, as it is stated: “And the destruction of the beasts, which made them afraid [yeḥitan]; because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city…” (Habakkuk 2:17), similar to the matter that is stated: “You shall not marry [titḥaten] them” (Deuteronomy 7:3).2The implication is that the other animals will force themselves upon this animal, i.e., Nebuchadnezzar. Nevertheless, “a man’s heart was given to it” (Daniel 7:4),3Even when Nebuchadnezzar was in that state, he was still able to appreciate that all of this was from God to subdue him. as it is written: “And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to the heavens, and my understanding returned to me” (Daniel 4:31).4The verse concludes: “I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom from generation to generation.” Pharaoh, from where is it derived that he rendered himself a deity? It is as it is stated: “My river is mine, and I have made it for myself” (Ezekiel 29:3). The Holy One blessed be He delivered him into the hand of his enemies, as it is stated: “So said the Lord: Behold, I will give Pharaoh Ḥofra king of Egypt [into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life]” (Jeremiah 44:30). What is Ḥofra? It is similar to the matter that is stated: “He shall loosen [ufara] the hair on the woman’s head and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands” (Numbers 5:18), and it is written: “On that day, Egypt will be like women” (Isaiah 19:16). Yoash, from where is it derived that he rendered himself a deity? It is as it is written: “After the death of Yehoyada the princes of Judah came and prostrated themselves before the king; then the king listened to them” (II Chronicles 24:17). What is “and prostrated themselves before the king”? It is that they rendered him a deity. They said to him: ‘Were you not a god, you would not have emerged from the Holy of Holies after seven years.’ He said to them: ‘This is so.’ He accepted upon himself to be rendered a deity, and engendered his demise, as it is stated: “It was at the turn of the year that the Aramean army rose against him” (II Chronicles 24:23), and it is written: “They executed judgment [shefatim] upon Yoash” (II Chronicles 24:24). Do not read it as shefatim, but rather as shefutim,5A reference to the verse: “They exposed her nakedness…she became a byword among women, for judgments [shefutim] were executed upon her” (Ezekiel 23:10). and it is written: “When they departed from him, as they left him with great diseases…he died…but they did not bury him in the burials of the kings” (II Chronicles 24:25). What caused Pharaoh to be stricken? It is because he said: “My river is mine, and I have made it for myself.” That is why the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “See, I have set you as god to Pharaoh.” “For one higher than the high is watching, and there are higher than they” (Ecclesiastes 5:7). Go and render he who rendered himself a deity despicable in the world, because he elevated himself, as it is stated: “He sees all the elevated, He is king over all the despicable” (Job 41:26). Does He see only the elevated, and the lowly He does not see? But is it not written: “The eyes of the Lord, they range over the entire earth” (Zechariah 4:10)? Rather, Rabbi Berekhya said: These are the haughty who render themselves deities, and the Holy One blessed be He renders them despicable in the world. Likewise, Sennacherib was haughty and was rendered despicable in the world, as it is stated: “It was that night, the angel of the Lord emerged, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand” (II Kings 19:35) men. That is why it is written: “He sees all the elevated”; the Holy One blessed be He shows the despicableness of the haughty to all beings. The Holy One blessed be He said: “Can a man hide himself in secret places and I will not see him? – says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24). Rabbi Binyamin bar Levi said: [God says:] If a person sits in the corner and engages in Torah study, I display him to the people. If a person conceals himself for idol worship, I display him to the people, as it is stated: “Can a man hide himself in secret places and I will not see him?” Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: [God says:] I fill the upper and the lower worlds with him, and show his degradation to the people. That is why the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “See, I have set you as god to Pharaoh.”
