Ben means son, child, grandson, or descendant. With nearly 5,000 occurrences, it is one of the most frequent Hebrew nouns. Beyond biological sonship, it forms idiomatic expressions: 'sons of Israel,' 'son of man,' 'sons of God.'
Sonship carries inheritance rights, identity, and mission. God calls Israel 'my firstborn son' (Exodus 4:22). The messianic 'Son of David' and 'Son of Man' in Daniel 7 describe the coming King. This finds ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God.