The Lord’s Prayer or “Our Father” is the most popular prayer in the world. Millions of us say it every day, because it was given to us by Jesus himself as the model of Christian prayer.
But do we really understand what we’re saying when we pray it?
How about the words “Hallowed be thy name”?
Many don’t understand this mysterious phrase.
In this video, best-selling author Jimmy Akin reveals what the phrase means–what we’re really asking when we say these words–AND the implications that this has for our lives.
This must-see video will prove eye-opening for both Catholics and Protestants as it uncovers the meaning of a much misunderstood saying of Christ’s!
Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
View all posts by Jimmy Akin
9 thoughts on “VIDEO: What Does “Hallowed Be Thy Name” Mean?”
Splendid job on the explanation, sir.
Thank you for making this video, it is going to change my daily experience of saying the Our Father. May everyone recognize His holiness. Amen.
Hallowed be they name means may your name be kept holy always in all situation. thanks for this wonderful question. our lords prayer is the formula for demand when we need to pray and every word there in represents what God required from us both in his service and our relationship with our neighbors.
I agree with the other commenters: Neat video. Was neat also how the Holy Father asked to quit singing a pronunciation of the Name of God, as per what you were talking about in your video.
“Neat” comment.. Of course, it was sung at one time, as your Jerusalem Bible shows: “Yahweh is my shepherd …” Ps 23.
I think I’ll copy your post to use the next time a Catholic tells me, ‘The Church wrote and protects the Bible’ or ‘You wouldn’t have the Bible without the Church’ or ‘We shouldn’t use God’s name because the pronunciation isn’t known’ or the other equally specious statements I’ve heard. 🙂
BTW, will the JB now be on the Index? Just asking.
Great video, thanks for shedding some light.
I also enjoy that you have Gypsy from mst3k on the shelf in the background. I didn’t know you were a mstie!
Could the prayer also mean that Jesus wanted to teach the Jewish people that the Father should now be worshipped and glorified; that the Son wanted to teach people that God wanted to enter into a new relationship with them by being a Father to them.
Mr. Akin,
Have you considered enlisting in the Real Beard Santa club?
Jimmy Akin says: ‘God’s name represents God, so how could he be any more holy?’
Good question; answer is, he can’t be, to his worshippers.
“‘Hallowed be’ can mean ‘let [or may] your name be holy.”
Indeed. English has changed in the last 400 years, which is why most people these days use more up-to-date Bibles like the NIV, the NWT, or the Jerusalem.
The NWT reads, “YOU must pray, then, this way: Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” [No doubt you know that YOU stands for the 2nd person plural, which was “ye” in James’ day.]
“Sanctified” is related to “saintly”, and means here ‘cleaned up’, especially as 0f something that was dirtied. Of course, this is what happened to the sinful men who became “saints”. Has God’s name been dirtied? A glance at mainstream religious teaching shows that it has been, most often by the ones given oversight of it.:
‘God took your baby because he wanted another angel in heaven.’ A lie.
‘God is an unknowable trinity.’ A lie.
‘God created the earth as a testing place of suffering to qualify us for Heaven.’ A lie.
‘God causes natural disasters to punish the wicked.’ A lie. When he’s ready to destroy- not punish- the wicked, he gives ample warning to those willing to listen and points out a place of safety in a timely way. This is what we Jehovah’s Witnesses do today. In doing so we tell the truth about Jehovah, which makes his name clean to those willing to listen to his word.
We also pray that his kingdom may come here on earth, as it already has in Heaven. What will the earth be like then, do you think?
Splendid job on the explanation, sir.
Thank you for making this video, it is going to change my daily experience of saying the Our Father. May everyone recognize His holiness. Amen.
Hallowed be they name means may your name be kept holy always in all situation. thanks for this wonderful question. our lords prayer is the formula for demand when we need to pray and every word there in represents what God required from us both in his service and our relationship with our neighbors.
I agree with the other commenters: Neat video. Was neat also how the Holy Father asked to quit singing a pronunciation of the Name of God, as per what you were talking about in your video.
“Neat” comment.. Of course, it was sung at one time, as your Jerusalem Bible shows: “Yahweh is my shepherd …” Ps 23.
I think I’ll copy your post to use the next time a Catholic tells me, ‘The Church wrote and protects the Bible’ or ‘You wouldn’t have the Bible without the Church’ or ‘We shouldn’t use God’s name because the pronunciation isn’t known’ or the other equally specious statements I’ve heard. 🙂
BTW, will the JB now be on the Index? Just asking.
Great video, thanks for shedding some light.
I also enjoy that you have Gypsy from mst3k on the shelf in the background. I didn’t know you were a mstie!
Could the prayer also mean that Jesus wanted to teach the Jewish people that the Father should now be worshipped and glorified; that the Son wanted to teach people that God wanted to enter into a new relationship with them by being a Father to them.
Mr. Akin,
Have you considered enlisting in the Real Beard Santa club?
Jimmy Akin says: ‘God’s name represents God, so how could he be any more holy?’
Good question; answer is, he can’t be, to his worshippers.
“‘Hallowed be’ can mean ‘let [or may] your name be holy.”
Indeed. English has changed in the last 400 years, which is why most people these days use more up-to-date Bibles like the NIV, the NWT, or the Jerusalem.
The NWT reads, “YOU must pray, then, this way: Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” [No doubt you know that YOU stands for the 2nd person plural, which was “ye” in James’ day.]
“Sanctified” is related to “saintly”, and means here ‘cleaned up’, especially as 0f something that was dirtied. Of course, this is what happened to the sinful men who became “saints”. Has God’s name been dirtied? A glance at mainstream religious teaching shows that it has been, most often by the ones given oversight of it.:
‘God took your baby because he wanted another angel in heaven.’ A lie.
‘God is an unknowable trinity.’ A lie.
‘God created the earth as a testing place of suffering to qualify us for Heaven.’ A lie.
‘God causes natural disasters to punish the wicked.’ A lie. When he’s ready to destroy- not punish- the wicked, he gives ample warning to those willing to listen and points out a place of safety in a timely way. This is what we Jehovah’s Witnesses do today. In doing so we tell the truth about Jehovah, which makes his name clean to those willing to listen to his word.
We also pray that his kingdom may come here on earth, as it already has in Heaven. What will the earth be like then, do you think?