Is "son of man" a Messianic title?

tonychanyt · Mar 25, 2024

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.

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

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.

Simon_Templar · Apr 10, 2024

Yes it is.

First and foremost, the phrase "son of man" is just a Hebrew idiom that means "a human being" as you point out.

Thus when we come to Daniel 7, the real shock and punch of the passage (for the Jewish mind) is that it essentially says that there will be a human being who will be given divine honor for all eternity, and who is ascribed divine status.

That is the major biblical reference.

However the title also appears in the Book of Enoch and in that text, the son of man is also clearly described as not only the messiah, but as divine.
Now, people may object that the Book of Enoch is not scripture, which is true. However, at the very least, it shows us what many Jews believed around the time of Christ. For that it is valuable, and it also shows us why Jesus would take that title.

It emphasizes his completely unique status as the one person who is Divine, but also human.

Is "son of man" a Messianic title?

tonychanyt

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Simon_Templar

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Is "son of man" a Messianic title?

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