Jesus’ Model Prayer begins with a salutation to the Father in heaven. It continues—as many ancient greetings to deities or royalty do—with a desire for His blessedness and reign to increase. In the ancient Middle East, petitioners of kings and emperors used exultant language to praise and honor their lords. For instance, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego addressed Nebuchadnezzar after he called them before him for refusing to bow before his golden image, they said: “O king, live forever!” (Daniel 3:9; see also Daniel 2:4; 5:10; 6:6, 21; I Kings 1:31; etc.). “Long live the king!” (I Samuel 10:24) conveys a similar sentiment.

A related blessing or wish of well-being also appears in letters and royal decrees. Darius’ declaration lauding the God of Israel after pulling Daniel from the lion’s den expresses his wish, “Peace be multiplied to you,” to everyone in his empire (Daniel 6:25; see Ezra 4:17; 5:7; 7:12; etc.). Biblical writers, especially the apostle Paul, use this form in their epistles, praying for God’s blessing on the recipients: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7; I Corinthians 1:3; II Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; etc.).

However, as a salutation, our Savior’s words in His instructive prayer, “Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9), stand alone in its request. It faintly echoes David’s address to God in Psalm 8:1, “O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth” (see also verse 9), but Jesus’ formula adds the elements of holiness and the desire for an increase in the true worship of God. Its memorable and concise phrasing demands further examination.

1. What does it mean to “hallow” something? Exodus 20:11; Jeremiah 17:24.

Comment: “Hallow” or “hallowed” appears 31 times in Scripture and only twice in the New Testament, both in versions of this prayer (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2). The Greek word underlying it, used 28 times, is hagiazō, which means “to separate, consecrate; cleanse, purify, sanctify; regard or reverence as holy” (Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words). Many modern translations of Matthew 6:9 drop the traditional literal translation of Matthew 6:9 to explain the verse in simpler terms: “. . . may your name be treated as holy” (Lexham English Bible); “. . . your name be honored as holy” (Christian Standard Bible); “. . . may your name be kept holy” (New Living Translation).

In the Old Testament, hallowing or sanctifying a thing appears most often in contexts dealing with God Himself or the Sabbath. In reality, only God can make something truly holy, as when He created and hallowed the Sabbath by resting on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3). The best sinful humans can do is to regard or treat a sanctified thing as holy, and so God commands in the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Jeremiah 17:24 illustrates that people can hallow the Sabbath—treat it as holy time—by doing no work on it. In other words, humans hallow something God has sanctified by obeying His instructions regarding it.

2. Why does God want people to treat His name as holy? Exodus 20:7.

Comment: In our culture, one’s name means little, most often merely as a way of identifying and distinguishing people. We can glimpse how significant it was to people in biblical times when we realize that we link reputation or prestige to a person’s name. We use phrases like “he ruined the family name” or “his name is mud” to express that someone is of low repute or character.

An individual’s name meant far more than that in ancient times. Then, a person and his or her name were bound together, the name representing the person’s essence. In the Old Testament, certain persons’ names defined them. For example, Jacob means “heel-catcher,” characterizing his underhanded, deceptive nature, but God renames him Israel, “one who prevails with God,” after his conversion. Christ Himself is named Jesus, “Savior.” God’s names likewise identify His character traits: He is Eternal, Creator, Almighty, our Banner, our Healer, our Sanctifier, our Peace, our Righteousness, our Shepherd, our Master, etc.

Thus, the request in Matthew 6:9—and God’s command in the third commandment (Exodus 20:7)—means more than just how we use or pronounce God’s names. It implies that we revere what God’s names stand for. He desires that we regard His names and thus Him and His character reverently, taking the pursuit of Him and His way of life seriously as a matter of profound aspiration.

3. How can one hallow God’s name? Isaiah 29:22-24; Colossians 3:17.

Comment: Recall that “hallow” (hagiazō) has the basic meaning of “to separate.” It pictures one thing separated from another or many things into groups. For instance, when growers reap their crops—say, apples—they divide the produce into various categories according to size and quality. Workers segregate the usable but less attractive apples for crushing into applesauce while packaging the high-quality fruit for sale at grocery stores.

A similar idea is present in hallowing or sanctifying something: The best is put in its own category and treated with greater care. In the case of God, people are to put Him in His own exalted category, in which He has no rivals. As He says of Himself in Isaiah 46:9, “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.”

The apostle Paul declares in Ephesians 3:14-15 that “the whole family in heaven and earth is named” from the Father, meaning that He is the ultimate Ruler over all things. Further, “God has highly exalted [Jesus Christ] and given Him the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). These facts should establish that His excellent name is truly the highest in all the universe, and He is due all praise and honor and obedience for His sovereign position over all things in heaven and earth.

The proper response of His people, then, is to come to a true understanding of God and learn to follow His teachings, as He prophesies Israel will do once He gives them His Spirit in the age to come. The elect are currently experiencing this process in this age, absorbing His teaching and through many trials figuring out how to practice His ways, continually keeping Him in the center of their lives. They hallow His name in their praise of Him and in their obedience to Him in every word and deed.

In the end, “Hallowed be Your name” expresses the supplicant’s desire to please the Father in every facet of life and witness His glory to the world.