# What Does Son of Man Mean? > Son of Man names a human being, and it names the figure in Daniel 7 who comes with the clouds and receives everlasting dominion. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-does-son-of-man-mean - Religions: Christianity, Islam - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: christianity, islam, jesus, messiah - Updated: 2026-10-13 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Son of Man is a human title, and it is also Daniel’s title for the figure who comes with the clouds of heaven and receives a kingdom that does not pass away. Jesus uses it of himself at the trial, in the same breath as “I am.” ## Key Points - [Ezekiel 2:1](/bible/ezekiel/2/1) [(2)](#ref-2) addresses the prophet as “Son of man.” [Psalm 8:4](/bible/psalms/8/4) [(3)](#ref-3) asks what man is, “and the son of man, that thou visitest him.” The phrase can mean a human being. - [Daniel 7:13–14](/bible/daniel/7) [(1)](#ref-1) sees “one like the Son of man” coming with the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of days. He is given dominion so that all peoples should serve him, and his kingdom is not destroyed. - [Mark 14:62](/bible/mark/14/62) [(4)](#ref-4) has Jesus answer the high priest, “I am,” and then, “ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” - [Mark 2:10](/bible/mark/2/10) says the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. [Mark 10:45](/bible/mark/10/45) says the Son of man came to give his life a ransom for many. - [Qur’an 19:88](https://quran.com/19/88) [(5)](#ref-5) reports the saying, “The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son.” [Qur’an 19:92](https://quran.com/19/92) says it is not appropriate that the Most Merciful should take a son. - The title does not mean “only a man, therefore not God.” It means the man Daniel saw receiving everlasting dominion, and Jesus applies that vision to himself. [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) ## The Figure With the Clouds [Daniel 7:13–14](/bible/daniel/7), King James Version: > I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. “One like the Son of man” is a human likeness. What he does is not an ordinary human career. He comes with the clouds of heaven. He is brought near the Ancient of days. Dominion, glory, and a kingdom are given to him. All peoples, nations, and languages serve him. The dominion does not pass away. The kingdom is not destroyed. That is the scene Jesus joins to the title. [Mark 14:62](/bible/mark/14/62): “And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” The high priest had asked whether he was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. The answer is “I am,” and then the Daniel figure: seated at the right hand, coming with the clouds. [What Does Messiah Mean?](/christianity/what-does-messiah-mean) is the Christ question in that verse. Son of Man is the second half of the same reply. ## A Human Address, and More Than That The phrase is also an ordinary address. [Ezekiel 2:1](/bible/ezekiel/2/1): “And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.” God calls Ezekiel a son of man because Ezekiel is a man. [Psalm 8:4](/bible/psalms/8/4) wonders that God is mindful of man and visits “the son of man.” In those lines the words mean a human being, mortal and looked after. Jesus is a man. [What Is the Incarnation?](/christianity/what-is-the-incarnation) says the Word became flesh. Son of Man is a true name for that humanity. It is also the name he chooses when he forgives, when he speaks of a ransom, and when he stands before the council. A title can carry the ordinary sense and the Daniel sense at once. The trial sentence uses the clouds, which Ezekiel’s address does not have. [The Deity of Christ](/christianity/deity-of-christ) sets the “I am” of Mark 14 beside John 8. The Son of Man saying is not a retreat from that confession. It is the public claim, in Israel’s scripture, that the man in front of them is the one who receives the kingdom. ## Forgiveness, a Ransom, and the Trial [Mark 2:10](/bible/mark/2/10) says the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, and then he tells the paralyzed man to rise. The scribes had just said that only God forgives sins. Jesus does not hand the pardon off to a later prophet. He ties it to this title. [Mark 10:45](/bible/mark/10/45): “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” The same figure who is served by the nations in Daniel gives his life for many. [Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?](/christianity/who-is-the-suffering-servant-in-isaiah-53) is that giving of a life. [Is the Atonement Unjust?](/christianity/is-the-atonement-unjust) answers the objection that a ransom for others is unfair. At the trial the title is Daniel’s, not only Ezekiel’s. Sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds is the vision, applied by the speaker to himself. [Did Jesus Exist?](/christianity/did-jesus-exist) is the historical question. The meaning of the title is what he said it meant in that hearing. ## The Qur’an and the Word Son [Qur’an 19:88](https://quran.com/19/88), Saheeh International: > And they say, "The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son." [Qur’an 19:92](https://quran.com/19/92): “And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son.” [Qur’an 4:171](https://quran.com/an-nisa/171) says the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger, and tells Christians not to say “three.” [Qur’an 5:72](https://quran.com/al-maidah/72) calls it disbelief to say Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary. The brackets in 19:88 supply “for Himself.” The report that people say the Most Merciful has taken a son, and the rejection of that saying, are the verse’s point. That is a real objection, in the Qur’an’s words. Christians do say Jesus is the Son. They do not say God took a wife and produced a child. [Can God Have a Son?](/islam/can-god-have-a-son) stays with begetting and a consort. Son of Man is a different sentence. It is Jesus’ own title for the man who comes with the clouds. The Gospel does not treat that title as a denial of deity. Daniel gives the figure an everlasting dominion and the service of every nation. [Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels](/islam/jesus-in-the-quran-and-the-gospels) quotes the titles the Qur’an does give him: Messiah, word, and messenger. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Why Does Jesus Call Himself the Son of Man? He uses a phrase Israel already had. In Ezekiel it marks the prophet as a man. In Daniel 7 it marks the one who comes with the clouds and receives a kingdom that is not destroyed. [Mark 14:62](/bible/mark/14/62) puts “I am” and that cloud-coming in one answer. The title lets him speak of his humanity, his authority to forgive, his death as a ransom, and Daniel’s vision without a new vocabulary. ### Does Son of Man Mean Jesus Is Only Human? It includes his humanity. [Psalm 8:4](/bible/psalms/8/4) and [Ezekiel 2:1](/bible/ezekiel/2/1) show that the words can mean a human being. [Daniel 7:13–14](/bible/daniel/7) shows they also name a heavenly figure who is served by all nations. Jesus cites that scene. A definition that stops at “only a man” leaves out the verse he quoted. ### Where Does the Old Testament Use the Title? [Ezekiel 2:1](/bible/ezekiel/2/1) is God addressing the prophet. [Psalm 8:4](/bible/psalms/8/4) is the human being God visits. [Daniel 7:13–14](/bible/daniel/7) is the one like a son of man who comes with the clouds. The Gospels use the Daniel scene when Jesus is on trial, and they use the title when he forgives sins and when he gives his life. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) is the confession that this Son is God with the Father and the Spirit, not a second god. ## Keep Reading - [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) - [The Deity of Christ](/christianity/deity-of-christ) - [What Does Messiah Mean?](/christianity/what-does-messiah-mean) - [What Is the Incarnation?](/christianity/what-is-the-incarnation) - [Can God Have a Son?](/islam/can-god-have-a-son) - [Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels](/islam/jesus-in-the-quran-and-the-gospels) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Psalms 8:4 King James Version. > What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? ### Mark 2:10 King James Version. > But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) ### Qur’an 4:171 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/4/171) > O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allāh except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allāh and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allāh and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allāh is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs. ### Qur’an 5:72 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/al-maidah/72) > They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allāh is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allāh - Allāh has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Daniel, 7:13–14](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/daniel/7). King James Version 2. [Book of Ezekiel, 2:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/ezekiel/2/1). King James Version 3. [Psalm, 8:4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/psalms/8/4). King James Version 4. [Gospel of Mark, 14:62; 2:10; 10:45](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/mark/14/62). King James Version 5. [Qur'an, 19:88; 19:92; 4:171; 5:72](https://quran.com/19/88) (Saheeh International, as published on Quran.com. Words in square brackets are part of that translation.) ## See Also - [Did Jesus Abolish the Law?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/did-jesus-abolish-the-law) — No. Matthew 5:17 says he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. He presses the commands further and ends the temple shadows in himself. - [Is the Atonement Unjust?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-the-atonement-unjust) — No. Ezekiel 18:20 and Qur’an 6:164 say guilt is personal. The Son lays down his life himself. That is not a bystander seized by a court. - [Can God Have a Son?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/can-god-have-a-son) — The Qur'an condemns the claim that God has taken a son, especially a son by a consort. Christians deny that picture and still confess the eternal Son. - [Did Christianity Exist Before Jesus?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/did-christianity-exist-before-jesus) — The name Christian is first used at Antioch in Acts 11:26, after Pentecost. Israel’s scriptures already promised a Messiah. They do not call that hope Christianity. - [Did Jesus Die on the Cross?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) — The Qur'an is widely read as saying Jesus was not crucified. The Gospels, Paul, and two Roman-era historians say he was.