Reference: Son of man
Easton
(1.) Denotes mankind generally, with special reference to their weakness and frailty (Job 25:6; Ps 8:4; 144:3; 146:3; Isa 51:12, etc.).
(2.) It is a title frequently given to the prophet Ezekiel, probably to remind him of his human weakness.
(3.) In the New Testament it is used forty-three times as a distinctive title of the Saviour. In the Old Testament it is used only in Ps 80:17; Da 7:13 with this application. It denotes the true humanity of our Lord. He had a true body (Heb 2:14; Lu 24:39) and a rational soul. He was perfect man.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
How much less man -- a grub, And the son of man -- a worm!
What is man that Thou rememberest him? The son of man that Thou inspectest him?
Let Thy hand be on the man of Thy right hand, On the son of man Thou hast strengthened for Thyself.
Jehovah, what is man that Thou knowest him? Son of man, that Thou esteemest him?
Trust not in princes -- in a son of man, For he hath no deliverance.
I -- I am He -- your comforter, Who art thou -- and thou art afraid of man? he dieth! And of the son of man -- grass he is made!
I was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, with the clouds of the heavens as a son of man was one coming, and unto the Ancient of Days he hath come, and before Him they have brought him near.
see my hands and my feet, that I am he; handle me and see, because a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me having.'
Seeing, then, the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself also in like manner did take part of the same, that through death he might destroy him having the power of death -- that is, the devil --
Fausets
Others are "sons of men" (Job 25:6; Ps 144:3; 146:3; Isa 51:12; 56:2). God addresses Daniel (Da 8:17) once, Ezekiel so about 80 times, to remind him of his human lowliness and frailty, as "man lower than the angels," though privileged to enjoy visions of the cherubim and of God Himself, "lest he should be exalted through the abundance of the revelations" (2Co 12:7). The divine Son appeared to him "as the appearance of a man above upon the throne" (Eze 1:26). As others are "sons of God," but He "the Son of God," so others are "sons of man" (Eze 2:1,3) but He "the Son of man" (Mt 16:13), being the embodied representative of humanity and the whole human race; as on the other hand He is the bodily representative of "all the fullness of the Godhead" (Col 2:9). Ezekiel, as type of "the Son of man" whose manifestation he records, is appropriately designated "son of man."
The title "the Son of man" implies at once Messiah's lowliness and His exaltation in His manifestations as THE REPRESENTATIVE MAN respectively at His first and second comings; His humiliation on the one hand (Ps 8:4-8; Mt 16:13; 20:18,28) and His exaltation on the other hand, just "because He is the Son of man": Da 7:13-14, Hebrew not Ben -ish or -Adam, son of a hero or of man generically viewed, but Ben enosh, "Son of man," frail and abject, marking the connection of His humiliation and exaltation as man (Php 2:5-11; Mt 26:64; Joh 5:27). He comes again as man to reinstate man in his original glory, never to be dispossessed of it. He is now set down on the throne of God as the Son of God. That is a throne which His saints cannot share; therefore He shall assume another throne, made "His" in order that they may sit down on it with Him (Re 3:21).
The kingdom shall be "under the whole heaven," on earth (Da 7:18,27); He shall reign with them as the Son of man, Head of the new creation, and Restorer of man's lost inheritance. Because as man He established His and the saints' title to the kingdom at the cost of His own blood, as man He shall judge and reign. It is fit that He who as the Son of man was judged by the world should judge the world. Re 5:9-10; Ps 8:4-8; Heb 2:6-8; 1Co 15:21-22,28,45,47. The title "the Son of man" in the New Testament Jesus alone uses, and of Himself, except Stephen in dying, "I see the Son of man standing on the right hand of God," referring not to His humiliation on earth but to His heavenly exaltation (compare Joh 12:23,34; 6:62; 3:13; Ac 7:56); standing to assist, plead for (Ps 109:31), and receive the dying martyr.
Stephen speaking "full of the Holy Spirit" repeats Jesus' prophecy before the council, foretelling His exaltation as the Son of man; only there it is "sitting on the right hand of power," because there majestic repose, here rising to His servant's help, is the thought. Stephen's assertion stirred their rage, that Jesus who had been crucified for claiming to be "the Son of God" stands at God's right hand as being "the Son of man." Another exception is John so calls Him in apocalyptic vision (Re 1:13; 14:14), corresponding to the Old Testament apocalypse (Da 7:13). The Son of God in eternity became the Son of man in time, whose manhood shall be glorified with His Godhead to eternity. The two titles together declare the whole truth as to His one Person, "whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? ... Thou art the Christ, the Son of God. ... Blessed art thou, Bar-Jona" ("son of Jonah"), etc.
As truly as thou art son of Jonah I am at once "the Son of man" and "the Son of God" (Mt 16:28). The two are again combined in Caiaphas' question as to His being the Son of God, and His affirmative answer and further revelation, "nevertheless, besides ... ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power," etc. (Mt 26:63-64; 24:30; 25:31-32; Mr 14:61-62). As the Son of man He was Lord of the Sabbath, "for the Sabbath was made for man" whose Representative Head He is (Mr 2:28). As the Son of man He suffered for sin (Mt 17:12), and as the Son of man He hath power on earth to forgive sins (Mt 9:6). As the Son of man He had not where to lay His head (Mt 8:20); as the Son of man "He hath on His head a golden crown" (Re 14:14).
Every eye shall see Him (Re 1:7), but only "the pure in heart shall see God" (Mt 5:8). "The Son of God became the Son of man that you who were sons of men might be made sons of God" (Augustine, Serm. 121). Jesus is one of our race, yet above the whole race, the One Man in whom mankind finds its unity, the turning point of history at the close of the old and the beginning of the new era. His absolute relation to mankind requires an absolute relation to God. He could be the Son of man only because He is the Son of God. He alone fully realizes the ideal of man, as well as that of God, combining too in His manhood all the exquisite graces of woman with the powers of man.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
How much less man -- a grub, And the son of man -- a worm!
What is man that Thou rememberest him? The son of man that Thou inspectest him?
What is man that Thou rememberest him? The son of man that Thou inspectest him? And causest him to lack a little of Godhead, And with honour and majesty compassest him.
And causest him to lack a little of Godhead, And with honour and majesty compassest him. Thou dost cause him to rule Over the works of Thy hands, All Thou hast placed under his feet.
Thou dost cause him to rule Over the works of Thy hands, All Thou hast placed under his feet. Sheep and oxen, all of them, And also beasts of the field,
Sheep and oxen, all of them, And also beasts of the field, Bird of the heavens, and fish of the sea, Passing through the paths of the seas!
Bird of the heavens, and fish of the sea, Passing through the paths of the seas!
For He standeth at the right hand of the needy, To save from those judging his soul.
Jehovah, what is man that Thou knowest him? Son of man, that Thou esteemest him?
Trust not in princes -- in a son of man, For he hath no deliverance.
I -- I am He -- your comforter, Who art thou -- and thou art afraid of man? he dieth! And of the son of man -- grass he is made!
O the happiness of a man who doth this, And of a son of man who keepeth hold on it, Keeping the sabbath from polluting it, And keeping his hand from doing any evil.
And above the expanse that is over their head, as an appearance of a sapphire stone, is the likeness of a throne, and on the likeness of the throne a likeness, as the appearance of man upon it from above.
It is the appearance of the likeness of the honour of Jehovah, and I see, and fall on my face, and I hear a voice speaking, and He saith unto me, 'Son of man, stand on thy feet, and I speak with thee.'
And He saith unto Me, 'Son of man, I am sending thee unto the sons of Israel, unto nations who are rebels, who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, unto this self-same day.
I was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, with the clouds of the heavens as a son of man was one coming, and unto the Ancient of Days he hath come, and before Him they have brought him near.
I was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, with the clouds of the heavens as a son of man was one coming, and unto the Ancient of Days he hath come, and before Him they have brought him near. And to him is given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, and all peoples, nations, and languages do serve him, his dominion is a dominion age-during, that passeth not away, and his kingdom that which is not destroyed.
and receive the kingdom do the saints of the Most High, and they strengthen the kingdom unto the age, even unto the age of the ages.
and the kingdom, and the dominion, even the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens, is given to the people -- the saints of the Most High, His kingdom is a kingdom age-during, and all dominions do serve and obey Him.
And he cometh in near my station, and at his coming in I have been afraid, and I fall on my face, and he saith unto me: Understand, son of man, for at the time of the end is the vision.
Happy the clean in heart -- because they shall see God.
and Jesus saith to him, 'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven places of rest, but the Son of Man hath not where he may lay the head.'
But, that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power upon the earth to forgive sins -- (then saith he to the paralytic) -- having risen, take up thy couch, and go to thy house.'
And Jesus, having come to the parts of Caesarea Philippi, was asking his disciples, saying, 'Who do men say me to be -- the Son of Man?'
And Jesus, having come to the parts of Caesarea Philippi, was asking his disciples, saying, 'Who do men say me to be -- the Son of Man?'
Verily I say to you, there are certain of those standing here who shall not taste of death till they may see the Son of Man coming in his reign.'
and I say to you -- Elijah did already come, and they did not know him, but did with him whatever they would, so also the Son of Man is about to suffer by them.'
'Lo, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered to the chief priests and scribes,
even as the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.'
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth smite the breast, and they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the heaven, with power and much glory;
'And whenever the Son of Man may come in his glory, and all the holy messengers with him, then he shall sit upon a throne of his glory; and gathered together before him shall be all the nations, and he shall separate them from one another, as the shepherd doth separate the sheep from the goats,
and Jesus was silent. And the chief priest answering said to him, 'I adjure thee, by the living God, that thou mayest say to us, if thou art the Christ -- the Son of God.' Jesus saith to him, 'Thou hast said; nevertheless I say to you, hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds, of the heaven.'
Jesus saith to him, 'Thou hast said; nevertheless I say to you, hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds, of the heaven.'
so that the son of man is lord also of the sabbath.'
and he was keeping silent, and did not answer anything. Again the chief priest was questioning him, and saith to him, 'Art thou the Christ -- the Son of the Blessed?' and Jesus said, 'I am; and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming with the clouds, of the heaven.'
and no one hath gone up to the heaven, except he who out of the heaven came down -- the Son of Man who is in the heaven.
and authority He gave him also to do judgment, because he is Son of Man.
if then ye may behold the Son of Man going up where he was before?
And Jesus responded to them, saying, 'The hour hath come that the Son of Man may be glorified;
the multitude answered him, 'We heard out of the law that the Christ doth remain -- to the age; and how dost thou say, That it behoveth the Son of Man to be lifted up? who is this -- the Son of Man?'
and he said, 'Lo, I see the heavens having been opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.'
and that by the exceeding greatness of the revelations I might not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of the Adversary, that he might buffet me, that I might not be exalted overmuch.
For, let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal to God, read more. but did empty himself, the form of a servant having taken, in the likeness of men having been made, and in fashion having been found as a man, he humbled himself, having become obedient unto death -- death even of a cross, wherefore, also, God did highly exalt him, and gave to him a name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee may bow -- of heavenlies, and earthlies, and what are under the earth -- and every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
because in him doth tabernacle all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,
and one in a certain place did testify fully, saying, 'What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, or a son of man, that Thou dost look after him? Thou didst make him some little less than messengers, with glory and honour Thou didst crown him, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands, read more. all things Thou didst put in subjection under his feet,' for in the subjecting to him the all things, nothing did He leave to him unsubjected, and now not yet do we see the all things subjected to him,
Lo, he doth come with the clouds, and see him shall every eye, even those who did pierce him, and wail because of him shall all the tribes of the land. Yes! Amen!
and in the midst of the seven lamp-stands, one like to a son of man, clothed to the foot, and girt round at the breast with a golden girdle,
He who is overcoming -- I will give to him to sit with me in my throne, as I also did overcome and did sit down with my Father in His throne.
and they sing a new song, saying, 'Worthy art thou to take the scroll, and to open the seals of it, because thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and didst make us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth.'
And I saw, and lo, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sitting like to a son of man, having upon his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle;
And I saw, and lo, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sitting like to a son of man, having upon his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle;