“Hallowed be thy name” - What name?

“Hallowed be thy name” - What name?

Jesus gave this prayer to the Father (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:2). He began this prayer by saying ‘Hallowed be thy name’ or, in more modern English, ‘May your Holy Name be honored.’- GNB (cf. JB, NJB, MLB, LB, etc.)

Obviously, since he was praying to the Father in heaven, he didn’t mean his own name: Jesus. So what is the Father’s name? It is the same name which is the only name to be called the ‘holy name’ in all of the scriptures.

Here are some examples:

(ASV) Leviticus 22:1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they hallow unto me, and that they profane not my holy name: I am Jehovah.

(ASV) Leviticus 22:31 Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am Jehovah. 32 And ye shall not profane my holy name ….

(ASV) 1 Chronicles 16:7 Then on that day did David first ordain to give thanks unto Jehovah, by the hand of Asaph and his brethren. 8 O give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name; Make known his doings among the peoples. 9 Sing unto him, sing praises unto him; Talk ye of all his marvellous works. 10 Glory ye in his holy name;

(ASV) 1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever. 35 And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us together and deliver us from the nations, To give thanks unto thy holy name, ….

(ASV) Psalms 33:1 Rejoice in Jehovah, O ye righteous: …. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, Because we have trusted in his holy name.

(ASV) Psalms 103:1 Bless Jehovah, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless his holy name.

(ASV) Psalms 145:21 My mouth shall speak the praise of Jehovah; And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

(ASV) Ezekiel 20:39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Go ye, serve every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me; but my holy name shall ye no more profane with your gifts, and with your idols.

(ASV) Ezekiel 36:20 And when they came unto the nations, whither they went, they profaned my holy name; in that men said of them, These are the people of Jehovah, and are gone forth out of his land. 21 But I had regard for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, whither they went. 22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I do not this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which hath been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, saith the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

(ASV) Ezekiel 39:7 And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I suffer my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah,

(ASV) Amos 2:6 Thus saith Jehovah: …. 7 they that pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father go unto the same maiden, to profane my holy name ….

I don’t believe you will find any scripture which refers to anyone but Jehovah (who is the Father) by the use of the term “holy name.”

So when Jesus prayed to the Father and praised His “holy (or ‘hallowed’) name,” he was also identifying the Father as Jehovah (YHWH).

For more on the essential knowledge of who God and Jesus really are (John 17:1, 3) see the KNOW study.

For more about God's Name, see:
God's Name