Passing Phrase - www.learnhebrew.org.il

Ben Adam

Literally: Son of man / human being
Idiomatically: A "mensch" / Man!

Normally, the use of Ben Adam is neutral (Psalms 8:5), and you can put an adjective after it: "Ben Adam Tov." But in its modern use, there are two interesting ways you may hear this phrase: First, there is little higher complement than in describing someone than "Hu Mamash Ben Adam" - He is really a mensch! Now let's not confuse this with the opposite, "Pere Adam" (Genesis 16:12), meaning an ill-mannered person whose behavior may even be similar to "Adam Hayaar" (an orangutan).

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