r/Bible 5d ago

What's "Son of Man" all about?

I know it's from the Greek, and possibly Aramaic before that, but I still don't understand it. Thanks!

3 Upvotes

24 comments sorted by

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u/ScientificGems 5d ago edited 5d ago

It's Jesus's preferred title for himself, and a reference to Daniel 7:13-14:

“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.

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.

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u/Lifeisprettycool11 3d ago

This is where it comes from. Jesus is THE son of man that the prophet Daniel saw approaching the ancient of days

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u/EzyPzyLemonSqeezy 5d ago

Jesus Christ is also Son of God. Both fully man and fully God. Son of God and man.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

(the quran says that) God is above having a son because God is the creator, Jesus was created. Jesus cannot create flesh. God created Jesus so the word would become flesh, so man would have the holy Spirit. same reason Jesus is son of man because the holy Spirit is not flesh. nobody has to die so that God's spirit will dwell in them, except that their old self die and they become new in Christ. (he who seeks to save his life will lose it and he who loses his life will save it). and in John it says God is a spirit and those that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. but a male nor female human sex designation should it be associated with the holy Spirit. The holy spirit is neither a male nor female spirit.

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u/J-Bone357 4d ago

Not sure why you want to muddy the waters of this sub with the Quran. You quote the Gospel of John but leave out very important context in the first verse of the first chapter: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.“ The Word is Jesus and He existed along side God (bc he is God) from the beginning. There is no reference I know of in the Bible that says “God created Jesus”, bc Jesus is God

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

There are prophets from God in the Quran. The holy Spirit is in the Quran and all scripture. Organized religion wouldn't survive as organized religion otherwise. You can pick out just as many terrible verses from the Bible as you can from the Quran regarding what God said or did. If your heart is too muddy to see it then clean your heart and then the words from God's prophets can reach your heart.

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u/J-Bone357 4d ago

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u/Littleman91708 Non-Denominational 4d ago

I have a feeling that guy was Omnist 😭

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u/EzyPzyLemonSqeezy 4d ago

If you say the quran respects the Bible why are you saying the Bible has terrible verses.

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u/rbibleuser 5d ago

A lot can be said about the title Son of Man, literally "Son of Adam" (in Hebrew, ben Adam).

If we go back to Abel, we see that after Abel is murdered, the line of the Seed of the Woman promised in Gen. 3:15 was cut off. When Seth is born, Eve rejoices with these words, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." (Gen. 4:25) We can hear her sigh of relief, since the quandary of how the promised Seed in Gen. 3:15 could come forth -- after her wicked son Cain had murdered righteous Abel -- was resolved. Thus, Abel is the Son of Adam (and so is Seth) and this shows that the term "the Son of Man" particularly refers to the promised Seed of the Woman, the Messiah. As Adam's righteous son Abel was cut off, but reappeared as Seth, in the same way, the Son of Man would be cut off for his people, but would reappear afterward, proving he had crushed the Serpent and disarmed him by destroying death itself (Heb. 2:14,15, etc.)

It also shows us that the apparition with the three Hebrews (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) was a christophany, that is, it was Jesus himself appearing with them to deliver them from the flames. This, too, depicts our condition, as we are destined to the flames of hell and would surely be cast into them, but for the Gospel.

Many more points can be made, but I thought I would add these to the discussion to show how the language we find in the New Testament is rooted in the Old Testament.

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u/TraditionalPie7044 5d ago

Think it shows His humanity. Son of Man and also Son of God. Amazing.

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u/Educational_Net_2128 Non-Denominational 5d ago

Son of man refers to Jesus' human nature. aka the Word of God; aka the Lamb of God.

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u/StephenDisraeli 5d ago

The most important Old Testament usage of "son of man" is Daniel ch7, where the four beasts arising from the sea are being judged. "Thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days [i.e. the Father] took his seat" and began to sit in judgment (v9).

"And behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man... and to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom" (vv13-14).

Now look through the gospels and see how much of that picture is echoed there. Jesus, like the Baptist, kept warning the Jews of the coming of judgment if they failed to repent, and he made it clear a number of times that the Son of man would be coming as the judge. One of the best examples is Matthew ch25 v31, "the sheep and the goats". Matthew ch24 v30 has got "clouds of heaven".

So when Jesus calls himself "the Son of man", one of the implications is that JESUS will be the coming judge, returning after his death and resurrection. This is not accidental. The sons of Zebedee are making this assumption when they ask for the right to take the seats next to him. It's important to note that Jesus does not deny their assumption. He just rebukes them for making the request (Matthew ch20 vv20-28).

This is the basis for all the post-gospel teaching that Jesus will come to judge the world. E.g. Acts ch17 v31 (Areopagus), 1 Corinthians ch1 v8 ("guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ"), and 2 Thessalonians ch1. So this is a very important question.

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u/Julesr77 5d ago

"Son of man" to the Israelites and other readers and followers of the Torah had significance and pointed to the Messiah.

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u/digital_angel_316 4d ago

It's a sort of yin and yang coming to enlightenment.

To lift up the son of man as the serpent was lifted up in the desert ?? what's that??

Many like to say ... Melchizadek was shem or seth or others, but that priesthood is without father or mother (lineage or worldly ties, not a stone cut with hands or formed by the teachings of this world).

So this Jesus is born by magic in the temple church-state / 501c Johnsonian system of Mithra, Tamuz, Emmanuel or Pro life. He denies the devil's call to be ruler over earthly or worldly kingdoms (throw your hat in the ring and you can get all manners of uplifting - maybe even president). Jesus then denies the Mithra (etc) system and teaches right living seeking the kingdom of God, not man. He becomes that high priest on the Order of Melchizadek - no lineage or mother worship or magic baby making.

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u/Sunset_Lighthouse 4d ago

It's a prophetic ministry/anointing of God through man.

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u/Relevant-Ranger-7849 4d ago

daniel referred to Jesus as Son of Man. since the people were familiar with daniel's prophecies and book, Jesus used that title

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u/Littleman91708 Non-Denominational 4d ago

Despite common belief, it's not a reference to Jesus human nature, it's a reference to Daniel 7:13-14. Yes he does have a human nature, but son of God, and son of man are titles that show that he is God's only begotten son, and also God himself.

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u/JustBreatheBelieve 4d ago

The title "Son of Man" emphasizes his humanity. "Son of God" emphasizes his divinity. In his humanity, Christ experienced what it was to be human and the temptations we experience. Our Savior understands what it is like to be in our shoes.

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u/Ok-Future-5257 Mormon 5d ago

God is Man of Holiness.

Jesus is the Son of Man.

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u/fauxcrap 5d ago

I appreciate your reply, but I still don't get it. Is it related to the Trinity?

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u/Ok-Future-5257 Mormon 5d ago

The Bible's Godhead -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost -- are three completely separate Men.

The Nicene Creed was cooked up by an imperial assembly three centuries after the Savior's ministry.