The Pulpit Commentary — Daniel — Section 250

Ezcurau, on "T11e Bon of Man." ever." This is cleo.rly borrowcrl from the chapter before ns. Elsewhere I we ho.v" Tho title given here to tho Messiah for endeavoured to fix the do.to of this part the first time, appears prominently in the of the _Book_ of_ Enoch, as B.c. 210. or Book of Enoch, o.nd becomes coneecre.ted to course, m thl8 view the Me.cco.bean ori"'in us in the lips of our Lord, as the fo.vourito of Daniel is definitely set aside. If, h.;'w- title by which ho designu.ted himself as the ever, we te.ke the date e.ssigned to this part Mcssiu.h. by Mr. Cho.rles, then we have a choice The phru.se, "son of man," ben-adam, ill between o.pproximo.tely B.O. 90 e.n<l B c. 70. used of man as contru.eted with God: Even then the de.te seems too near th" Numb. xxiii. 19, "God is not a man the.t critical date of Daniel to explain the rapid ho should lie, nor the son of mo.n the.t he deve_lopment the idea has undergone. In should repent;" of mo.n ae weu.k: Isa. Ii. 12, Dame! the person "like a son of man " " Who a.rt thou, thu.t thou shouldest be afro.id may be a personification of Israel, thourrh 0 of a mo.n tho.t she.ll die, and of the son of not naturally so; here in Enoch we have to mo.n which eha.ll be made e.s the gre.ss?" do with o. super-angelic being. (so Job xxv. 6; Ps. cxliv. 8). Ago.in, it ill As to the question of the reference of the used simply as equivo.lent to "me.n:" Jer. title, it he.a been doubted whether it is xlix. 18, "No me.n eho.ll abide there, neither to be held as applying to the Messiah, the eho.ll son of mo.n dwell in it" (see a.leo Messianic kingdom, or to the people of Jer. Ii. 48). The contrast, so fo.r a.s there is Israel. The last view is that of Hitzirr and a contra.et, is between 11h~ o.nd c-;itn:,i- In mauy other critics of his school. It p~n.ct i- -the Psalms we ho.ve b'nee adam e.nd b'nee cally involves a denial of the truth of the ish contrasted : Pa. lxii. 9, " Surely men of idea that the J ewe ever ho.d Messianic hopes. low degree (b•nee adam) o.re vanity, and ~ _the present case there is nothing to men of high degree (b<nee ish) o.re o. lie." md1_cate any reference to Israel personified. This distinction docs not apply to Aro.maic, Wlnle there might be some plausiuility in in which enush is the only generally used o.rguing from eo.ch of the four beasts r,,pre- word for "mo.n." In the prophecies of scnting empires that this "Son of man" Ezekiel the phrase becomes determina- should represent an empire e.lso; it mnst tive of the prophet. The question is com- be observed that iu all the other co.ses there plice.ted, however, by the fo.ct thu.t in is a peculiarity which marks off the animal Ee.stem Are.me.ic barnesh, o. contre.ction for as merely 11, symbol: the lion ho.a wings; tlrn bar-'•nasho, is used very generally for" men," bear has three ribs in its teeth; the Jcopo.rcl as col-bar-11esh, "everybody." It also occurs has four heo.ds and four wings; and the L>.st, in this sense in Te.rgumic, though more unnamed, beast has ten heo.ds and iron rarely, o.s Job v. 7. The title here, then, teeth. Further, this "Son of man" is simply declo.res the.t one, having the e.p- brought to the Ancient of days, and docs not peo.rance of e. me.n, we.s seen coming in the merely appear e.s do the "\icnsts." He has clouds of heu.ven. The phrase in the thus mo.ny of the characteristics of a. person. Peshitto. for " the Son of me.n " is bareh The other view, tho.t the "Son of man" in- d'nosli. It is implied the.t this mysterious dicates the Messianic kingdom, thus comes Being ha.d the form of o. me.n, but further, into line with the view of Hitzig. The it is implied the.t he we.a other then me.n. view that it is the Messiah who is meant In the Book of Enoch the phru.se he.s ceased by the " Son of man" was held practically to be descriptive merely, o.nd ho.s become by a.II interpreters, Jewish and Christian, e.n nppelle.tion. Thus Enoch xlvi.: "(1) until the middle of last century. And there I se.w one who had a heu.d of If we look at the phenomenon of pro- do.ye, and his heo.d was white like wool, and phetism, we shall find olln!elves open to with him was nnother being, whose coun- another view of the mo.tter. From 1 Pet. teno.nce had the nppee.ro.nce of a man, and i. 10 we see that prophets did not ncccs- hie fa.co wo.s full of gro.cioueness like one 81\rily know the meaning of their own of the holy angels. (2) And I a.eked the prophecies. It might well be, then, that to angel who went with me e.nd showed me all Daniel the distinction between the Mcssian io the hidden things concerning that Son of King o.nd the Messianio kingdom was not roan, who he was, and why he went with one cleo.rly apprehended. We see in tho tho Heo.d of dnys. (8) And he o.nswerecl prophecies of the second Liaiah that the nnd so.id unto me, This is the Son of ma.n, "servant of the Lord" is first the holv who bath righteousness, with whom dwelleth people, then the prophetic order, an<l lnttc>rly righteousness, and who revee.ls all the a person. There probably was o, simlhr treo.sures of that which is hidden, becnuse unoexto,inty here. If we grant this inck- tho Lord of spirits hath chosen him, o.nd 1 'Books which influenced our Lord nn,l his lot before the Lord of spirits hath surpassed everything in uprightness for his Apostles.' 216 TllE BOOK OF DA.NrnL. [au. vu. 1-213.