Originally emphasizing someone’s humanity, this title is later also used for a powerful heavenly
figure.

From his mother Jesus inherited mortality. Hebrew ben 'adam denotes "a son of
Adam," that is, any mortal man (Dan. 8:17). Thus, as a son of Adam, Jesus represents Adam's
children, acting as their agent with the Father. As both Son of God and Son of Man, Jesus stands
between God and man as mediator. With the definite article, the Son of Man described an
expected apocalyptic heavenly figure, identified with the Messiah (Dan. 7:13). Jesus is the son
of the archetypal Man, the perfect heavenly Man, the Eternal Father (Moses 6:57; 7:35). In this
sense, "Son of Man" equals "Son of God" and conveys an intentional ambiguity, reflecting both
Jesus' mortal and immortal parentage.

OT: Used 93 times in Ezekiel and only 13 times in the rest of the OT (translated "mortal" in
NRSV), it usually refers to human beings in contrast to God or angels, but it could also highlight
the prophet’s role as a special representative of the people. Daniel 7:13 is the only OT text
where this phrase describes a heavenly figure nearly equivalent to God in power and authority;
in later Jewish apocalyptic literature, the "Son of Man" is a figure of divine judgement.

NT: Used 85 times, mostly in the four Gospels (14 Mk, 30 Mt, 25 Lk, 13 Jn) and almost always
by Jesus referring to himself, but with various meanings. Some "Son of Man" sayings refer to the
human activity of Jesus (as in Ezekiel), while others refer to his future role in divine judgement
(as in Daniel 7). Brand new is Jesus’ use of "Son of Man" when he is telling his disciples about
his upcoming suffering and death (esp. Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33).