What Does “Son Of Man” Mean In the Bible

Do you know what Jesus called Himself most often in the bible?  SON OF MAN
I have always found this to be most interesting and for a long time. very puzzling! Why Son Of Man?
What an odd thing to call oneself!  When I dug in the bible for the meaning, I found it even more interesting and very, very telling…

Jesus called Himself other names too… BREAD OF LIFE… THE GOOD SHEPHERD… THE WAY THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE…TEACHER…THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. All beautiful imagery of the Messiah… the King and Savior the Jews of Jesus’ day were waiting for.
Compared to these monikers Son Of Man sounds, well… a little boring and plain.
But there I go again thinking like a modern, western, Greek thinker and not an ancient, Oriental, orthodox thinker… In other words, I am not thinking like the people in the times the bible was written.
To truly understand the imagery of Son Of Man we need to visit the book of Daniel.

I LOVE to open this amazing book!!!! Why go to Daniel? He lived over 500 years before Jesus? Because Daniel has the key to the meaning of Son Of Man…

Daniel was a Jew and a prophet… and you might know him from his incarceration in a lion’s den. He was uprooted from his home in Israel, like most of the Jews of his day, and taken into captivity by the Babylonians… around 586 BC. It was in this time of captivity that God gave Daniel dreams and visions… and major prophesy about the future history of the Jews and the “end times”. Daniel’s prophesy is trustworthy… so far all of it has come true… ALL!

Daniel has a prophetic dream…

I kept looking (he is watching these things unfold in his prophecy)
Until thrones were set up,
And the ANCIENT OF DAYS took His seat;
His vesture was like white snow,
And the hair of his head was like pure wool,
His throne was a blaze with flames,
It’s wheels were burning fire,
A river of fire was flowing
And coming out from before Him;
Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him,
The court sat, And the books were opened. Daniel 7:9-10

Daniel was transported into the throne room of God. There he got a glimpse of God and translated the vision the best he could using the concrete imagery of his day.God was sitting on His throne, The Ancient Of Days… he is sitting as God and Judge. A huge multitude, more than could be counted, were with God…

I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like the SON OF MAN was coming,
And He came up to the ANCIENT OF DAYS,
and was presented before Him.
And to Him (one like the Son Of Man) was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will never be destroyed. Daniel 7: 13-14

In this night vision… this prophesy… Daniel sees someone who looks like a man coming up to God… who is on His throne in heaven. Daniel sees God giving this “man” dominion (sovereignty, power to reign, authority, an empire) glory (great honor, tells of his worth) and a kingdom (realm, reign, authority over).

God also gives this ONE LIKE THE SON OF MAN people for his kingdom… all people (us) of every language that they might serve Him! Every kingdom needs subjects.

This kingdom is no ordinary kingdom… it is everlasting (forever and ever, all ages, never ending) and will never be destroyed.

Daniel’s night vision was a prophecy of the MESSIAH… the much awaited King of the Jews!

Now let’s go back to the days of Jesus…

When Jesus would call Himself Son Of Man the Jews of His day knew exactly what He was saying! Their minds would go directly to the night vision in Daniel 7 and know that Jesus was calling himself the much awaited Messiah… the King who’s kingdom was without end…the fulfillment of their hope!

Son Of Man might be an odd name to us, but to the people of Jesus’ day it could not be any plainer. Jesus was and IS the one presented to the ANCIENT OF DAYS and found worthy to be the great almighty King of planet earth. One who is worthy of honor and glory. One who will reign forever and ever. He WAS and IS the hope of the Jews… and all people!

Now, when I read or hear Jesus referring to Himself as Son Of Man… in my mind I run to Daniel Chapter 7 just like the Jews of Jesus’ time…
And He came up to the ANCIENT OF DAYS,
and was presented before Him.
And to Him (one like the Son Of Man) was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will never be destroyed. Daniel 7: 13-14

In this night vision… this prophesy… Daniel now sees someone who looks like a man coming up to God… who is on His throne in heaven. Daniel sees that God gives this “man” dominion (sovereignty, power to reign, authority, an empire) glory (great honor, tells of his worth) and a kingdom (realm, reign, authority over).

God also gives this ONE LIKE THE SON OF MAN people for his kingdom… all people (us) of every language that they might serve Him! Every kingdom needs subjects.

This kingdom is no ordinary kingdom… it is everlasting (forever and ever, all ages, never ending) and will never be destroyed.

Daniel’s night vision was a prophecy of the MESSIAH… the much awaited King of the Jews!

Now let’s go back to the days of Jesus…

When Jesus would call Himself Son Of Man the Jews of His day knew exactly what He was saying! Their minds would go directly to the night vision in Daniel 7 and know that Jesus was calling himself the much awaited Messiah… the King who’s kingdom was without end…the fulfillment of their hope!

Son Of Man might be an odd name to us, but to the people of Jesus’ day it could not be any plainer. Jesus was and IS the one presented to the ANCIENT OF DAYS and found worthy to be the great almighty King of planet earth. The one who is worthy of honor and glory. The one who will reign forever and ever. He WAS and IS the hope of the Jew… and all people!

Now, when I read or hear Jesus referring to Himself as Son Of Man… in my mind I run to Daniel Chapter 7 just like the Jews, and I too know that He is saying… I AM the One you have been waiting for!

And I bow to my King!

and I also know that He is saying… I AM the One you have been waiting for!

And I bow to my King!

 This week’s scripture verse:
FOR THE SON OF MAN HAS COME TO SEEK AND SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST. Luke 19:10

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16 Comments

  1. Thank you Yvonne for this teaching about Jesus being the Son of Man. I have never heard it explained in the context of Daniel before. To God be the glory for the great things He has done!

  2. Pat Smith says:

    Beautiful teaching from His Word Yvonne…thank you for all you give of yourself !

  3. Valerie Reynolds says:

    Wonderful lesson…I too had not heard it in that context. Thank you!

  4. Thank YOU so. Much for this insight to Jesus!! Love the message!!! Very informative !! Appreciate you taking the time to research this! Thanks!

  5. Awesome word, Thank you..
    Be Blessed

  6. Thank-you for this beautiful message. I’ve never heard “Son of Man” explained this way. I love the new format for your blog too. You are an inspiration.

  7. Thank you for such a wonderful teaching. We are studying Daniel in our Bible study so these Sunday posts on Daniel are even more impactful for me. We had great conversation in Chapter 3 where Nebuchadnezzar says he sees 4 men in the fiery furnace- Shadrach, Meshach, Abe-Nego and”the fourth form is like the Son of God”! One translation said “like a son of the gods”. Though I have known that story since i was a child, I never remembered that reference. God’s Word is new every morning! I am so grateful for your teaching each Sunday; you always give me anew look at the Word. Blessings!

    1. Pamela, I love the book of Daniel! It’s a rich and deep study! It will bless you from beginning to end!

  8. Thank you, Yvonne, for that lovely message. I have just studied that a few weeks ago in a Bible study I’m involved with. Such a thrilling picture. I appreciate your sharing about our Savior. Thank you.

  9. Thank you for helping us understand how important that name was. Jesus is Messiah!

  10. Mimi Heard says:

    Thank you for sharing this beautiful picture of our Savior. I love your posts,particularly the ones about Jesus!

  11. Sheryl Warner says:

    Thank you so much for sharing this with us. God’s Word is so precious and full of wisdom. I look forward to your Sunday messages.

    Is it just me, or did you happen to repeat a few paragraphs? Either way, repetition is good for learning 😉
    May God bless you.

  12. Thank you, Yvonne! I never knew this, and it is so important to understand and know!

    Praise be to God in the Highest! Blessings to you and yours! ♥

  13. Karen Siegel says:

    I can really appreciate your spirituality! God’s Kingdom is a real government in heaven and the one we pray for to be
    completely fulfilled here on earth. Daniel 2:44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that
    will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all
    these kingdoms and it alone will stand forever.” God will use his son, Jesus, the Son of Man to cleanse the earth of
    unrighteousness. The whole theme of the Bible is God’s Kingdom and how it will restore the earth back to the Paradise
    conditions originally intended before Adam and Eve’s grave sin. God’s people will: Psalm 37:10-11: “Just a little while
    longer and the wicked will be no more; you will look at where they were, and they will not be there. But the meek will
    possess the earth, and they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”

  14. Yvonne, Thank you for sharing this truth. I have often wondered about that name, “Son of Man.” Praise God! I am so happy to know why Jesus called Himself that name. I love your blog. I am participating in “Between the Lines,” this week also. I am so glad to meet other women who are a lot like me. I look forward to reading more of your blog. Sincerely, Kathi