In the Old Testament, the phrase “son of man” refers to man in general. It comes from being a descendant of Adam, the first man, whose name serves as the Hebrew word for “man” or “mankind.” Adam’s name is derived from the Hebrew word for ground (adamah), so “son of man” is also a reference to men’s origin, being formed in the beginning from dirt. Of note, the prophet Daniel described a vision where “someone like the son of man” (Daniel 7:13) approached God (the “Ancient of Days”) to be given sovereignty over everything forever. In this sense, it was used in reference to the coming Messiah. However, the predominant understanding of “son of man” was likely related to its original meaning, as a reference to a man or mankind in general. Ezekiel recorded being called “son of man” by God numerous times, but Jesus is the only person in the Bible to refer to himself in the third person in this way.