Who or What is Daniel’s Son of Man?

Last updated on: November 15, 2018 at 11:51 pm by Kermit Zarley

Who or What is Daniel’s Son of Man? 2018-11-15T23:51:01-07:00 Kermit Zarley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of my favorite Bible texts is Daniel 7.13-14. In the ESV it reads: “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.” This text is the only place in the Old Testament that tells about “one like a son of man.” The original Aramaic text for it is kebar enash. The ke means “like.” And Daniel 7 is the only portion in the Old Testament that mentions “the Ancient of Days” (vv. 9, 22), which surely refers to God. But what does “one like the son of man” refer to?

Church fathers believed “one like a son of man” in Dan 7.13 refers to Jesus and that he constantly identified himself primarily as “the son of man” due to this text. I think they were right and that he mostly got his concept of the kingdom of God from this text as well. (Recall that Jesus taught constantly about the kingdom of God.) But most distinguished Old Testament scholars nowadays think it does not refer to Jesus but to the “holy ones” or “saints” (gaddise) who are mentioned repeatedly in Daniel 7 (vv. 18, 21-22, 25, 27). This interpretation is called “the Jewish saints interpretation.”

I think the main reason scholars make this mistake in Daniel 7 is that nearly all versions and commentators translate both illay and elyonin in Daniel 7 as “the Most High,” thus always referring to the God of Israel, YHWH, whom Jesus called “Father.” Both Aramaic words are adjectives meaning “high.” Among modern English versions, only the NASB distinguishes these two words here by translating illay as “the Most High” (vv. 9, 25) and elyonin as “the Highest One” (vv. 18, 22, 25, 27). Each time elyonin appears in Daniel 7, it is accompanied with gaddise, meaning “holy ones” or “saints.” Thus, gaddise elyonin appears four times in Daniel 7, and each time the NASB renders it “the saints of the Highest One.”

I think this translation practice of the other versions in Daniel 7 results in redundancy, and thus confusion, in v. 25. It is about the little horn that I think is a symbol for the final Antichrist. The NRSV is typical of versions by reading, “He shall speak words against the Most High [illaya], shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High [elyonin].” However, the NASB better translates it, “And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One.” In this way, the Most High can be understood as God the Father and the Highest One as Jesus. Obviously, Jesus is higher than anyone else besides God because Jesus sits with God on God’s throne in heaven. The Bible constantly relates that God is the Most High because his throne is higher than any other throne.

By translating the four occurrences of gaddise elyonin in Daniel 7 in this way–as “the Highest One” who refers to Jesus–“the Highest One” refers to “one like the son of man” in v. 13, thus Jesus instead of the saints, who are his people. Nevertheless, his people will inherit the kingdom, as Daniel says in v. 27 in the NASB, “Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One.” But the clincher for what I am saying is in the rest of this verse that reads, “His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.” Some versions begin this independent clause with “Their” or the like, thus referring to the saints. Regardless, to whom does the last word “Him/him” refers? Verse 14 says of “one like the son of man” that “all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him,” who is Jesus. Thus, “Him/him” at the end of v. 28 surely refers to “one like a son of man” rather than God.

In conclusion, “one like a son of man” in Dan 7.13 refers to an actual human being–Jesus–thus not “the holy ones” or “saints” mentioned in the rest of Daniel 7.

Previous Post

September 18, 2015

Was Jesus Making Himself God?

Next Post

September 26, 2015 Praying for a "Breakthrough"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Angels Billy Graham Blog Description Book Reviews Christian Living Christianity Christology Church History Current Events Deity of Christ? Disarmament Eschatology Evangelicalism Ezekiel 38-39 Film Reviews God Golf Gospel Harmonization Health History Holy Spirit Incarnation? Interview Islam Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Jesus Last Empire Literary Announcements Major Championship Winners Masters Monotheism My Books New Testament Old Testament Politics Primitive Weapons Ryder Cup Science Society of Biblical Literature The Bible The Restitution of Jesus Christ Trinitarianism Trinity? Uncategorized Unconditional Love? War on Terrorism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: King Josiah found the Book of the Law hidden in the temple during repairs.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE

Books by This Author Books by Kermit Zarley Blog

See All Titles »