Is "son of man" a Messianic title?

[tonychanyt]

The Hebrew expression "son of man" (בן–אדם, i.e. ben-'adam) appears in the Old Testament 103 times. Most of the time, the expression refers to a plain human. Psalm 146:3

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

That's not Messianic.

However, Daniel 7:

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

The above is Messianic.

Ellicott explained:

The title implies one descended from man; but as this Person is spoken of as being “like” one of human descent, it follows that He was not merely a man. The early Jewish and Christian interpretations that this is the Messiah are confirmed by our Saviour’s solemn appropriation of the title to Himself (Matthew 24:30).

In the NT, "the Son of man" occurs 77 times in the four gospels. It was Jesus' favorite title to refer to himself. Mat 16:

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Here, "Son of Man" is linked to Christ, Son of God, and possibly the great IAM.

Matthew 24:30

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory."

Is "son of man" a Messianic title?

Yes, when it is applied to Jesus as prophesied by Daniel.