Hallowed Be Thy Name - what does it mean?

We have seen that "hallowed be your name" is a request, and that it is a request for something to happen, or to be, on earth that is already accomplished in heaven.

But what does "hallowed be your name" mean? Let's break it down this way: What does "hallowed" mean? Then what does "name" mean, especially the Father's name? and then what does it mean when we put them together?

Except for reciting the Lord's Prayer we hardly ever use the verb "to hallow" nowadays. "Hallow" means to make something holy,  The exact same Greek verb and verb form is used at the end of Rev. 22:11 "Let the evildoer still do evil, ... and the holy still be holy." So a more literal translation of "Hallowed be thy name" could be "let your name be holy."

What does "holy" mean? This an important word and i can only scratch the surface here. "Holy" means, first of all, to be set apart. Consecrate, sanctify and dedicate are all words with close meanings to "hallow". We hallow a piece of ground when we erect a memorial on it or turn it into a cemetery. (Remember Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.) We hallow a building when we turn it into a church. Holiness is, first and foremost, attributed to God. Or it might be better to say that God's nature defines what holiness is. But not only God is holy. That which belongs to God, what is dedicated to him, is also holy. So the temple is holy, and God's people, Israel and the Church, are holy. In fact in the New Testament, the word for Christians, "Saints", is just another form of the word "holy", so Paul often addresses his letters to all the "holies" in a certain city.

But then what does "name" mean, particularly "Our Father's name"? You might think that after dealing with "hallowed", "name" would be easy, but here is where things get interesting. In older, more traditional societies, names are not just tags to identify people, but they also tell something about the person. Often, when a major event happened in a person's life, they would change their name to reflect that. That happens a number of places in the Bible.

When the New Testament uses the term "name" applied to Jesus or God, there is a continuum of meanings these terms can signify. At one end of the spectrum is that it means simply God or Jesus himself. In these sentences you can replace "the name of God" with simply "God" without changing the meaning. For example:

• Act 2:21 everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, (calls on the Lord).
• Heb. 6:10 by serving the saints you show love for God's name, (show love for God).

If we use this sense in "Hallowed be thy name" we get: "may you, heavenly Father, be holy." But that doesn't make sense as a prayer, a petition. It is like praying, "God, be omnipotent."

Another meaning for "the Lord's name" is the truth about the Lord, his works and his character, and the proclamation of that truth.  Examples are:

• John 17:6 I (Jesus) have manifested your (the Father‚Äôs) name to the disciples.
• Acts 9:15 Paul will carry Jesus' name before the Gentiles.
• Acts 26:9 Paul thought he should oppose the name of Jesus.

If we use this sense in "Hallowed be thy name" we get something like: "may the truth about you, Father, and its proclamation, be set apart, held in honor." A fine sentiment, but a bit incoherent.

A third meaning is a title, position or honor.

• Phil. 2:9-10 God gave Jesus the name that is above every name. 
• Heb. 1:4 Jesus has inherited a name superior to the angels.

I am not sure what it would mean to "make holy" the name, the position of authority, that Jesus has from the Father. Unless it would refer to how people view Jesus' name. Which brings us to the last shade of meaning of "name":

The fourth way "the Lord's name" is used is to mean reputation, how other's talk and think about the person. Do they view his character as good or bad? This is the meaning we find in Proverbs 22:1, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches." This is also the meaning for "name" that I believe is appropriate in the Lord's prayer.

• Acts 19:17 name of Jesus was extolled (after sons of Sceva) 
• Rom. 2:24 name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of Jews breaking God‚Äôs commands.
• Rom. 9:17 God raised up Pharoah that God‚Äôs name might be proclaimed in all the earth
• 2 Thes. 1:11-12 Pray to God to make you worthy of his calling ‚Ķ so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him. 
• 1Tim 6:1 slaves honor their masters so that the name of God may not be reviled.
• James 2:7 the rich blaspheme the honorable name by which we are called.

Now let us put this together. A literal use of my definitions turns "Hallowed be thy name" into "may your (the Father's) reputation be holy, set apart," or "may you be known as holy." Note that in this sense, a name, even God's name, can be honored or reviled. A good reputation can be won or lost. From a human perspective it is still an open question whether God's name will be hallowed or not.

Here are a few translations of this passage, that also do not follow the traditional wording:

May your name always be kept holy. (New Century Version)
May your holy name be honored; (Good News Translation)
May your name be honored (New Living Translation)
Your name be honored as holy. (Holman Christian Standard)
Hallowed (kept holy) be Your name. (Amplified)
Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. (The Message)

So Jesus commanded us to pray that the Father's name be held sacred, that God's reputation and honor would be upheld. That instead of his character being blasphemed and reviled, it would be praised, honored, known and spoken of as it truly is: pure, faithful, loving and just.

Next time I will look a little more at the idea of "name" or "reputation" and see how it applies to God and why God should care what we think about him.