Hallow; Hallowed
The Meaning of Hallow
The English word "hallow" means to render or treat as holy, derived from the same root as "holy" itself. In the Old Testament, it translates the Hebrew word meaning "set apart" or "consecrate," a term that appears hundreds of times in various forms. The underlying concept is marked separateness — the distinction between what belongs to common use and what belongs to God. To hallow something is to remove it from the ordinary sphere and dedicate it to the sacred. This idea extends to persons, places, objects, times, and ultimately to God himself, whose holiness is the source and standard of all that is hallowed.
The Hallowing of Time
The first use of hallowing in Scripture occurs at creation, when God "blessed the seventh day and made it holy" (Genesis 2:3). This primordial act of hallowing established a rhythm of sacred time before any temple was built or priesthood ordained. The Sabbath command reinforced this: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy... For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth... and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8-11). The Jubilee year was similarly hallowed: "You shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land" (Leviticus 25:10). New moons, festivals, and appointed seasons were all set apart as holy times within the calendar of Israel's worship.
The Hallowing of Persons and Objects
Persons were hallowed for service to God through elaborate ceremonies of consecration. Aaron and his sons were hallowed for the priesthood through a seven-day ritual involving washings, anointing with oil, clothing in sacred garments, blood applied to the ear, thumb, and toe, and the offering of sacrifices (Exodus 29:1-37). The tabernacle and its furnishings were hallowed with anointing oil (Exodus 40:9-11). Sacrificial offerings were hallowed — set apart as belonging to God — and the portions reserved for the priests were treated as sacred (Numbers 18:8-10; Exodus 28:38). Even the firstborn of Israel were hallowed to God because God had spared them in Egypt (Numbers 3:13). The underlying principle was that everything dedicated to God's service required formal separation from common use.
God Hallows His Own Name
Scripture declares that God himself acts to hallow his own name among the nations. When Israel's unfaithfulness profaned God's reputation among the peoples, God declared, "I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations" (Ezekiel 36:23). God's hallowing of his own name is not dependent on human cooperation — it is his sovereign act of self-revelation. Through judgment and redemption, God demonstrates that he is holy and will be recognized as such. This divine initiative provides the foundation for the prayer Jesus taught his disciples.
Hallowed Be Your Name
The most familiar use of "hallowed" in all of Scripture is the opening petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2). This prayer asks that God's name — his character, reputation, and revealed identity — be treated as holy by all people everywhere. It is not merely a wish but a petition for God to act in such a way that his holiness becomes manifest throughout the earth. The prayer places the hallowing of God's name before all other requests, establishing the priority of God's glory over human needs. To pray "hallowed be your name" is to ask that the world come to recognize, honor, and revere God as he truly is.
Hallowing in the Life of the Believer
The New Testament extends the concept of hallowing into the daily experience of the believer. Peter urged, "In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy" (1 Peter 3:15), using language that echoes the Old Testament call to hallow God's name. Paul taught that believers are themselves "sanctified" — hallowed, set apart — in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11). The call to holiness runs through the epistles: "As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct" (1 Peter 1:15-16). The hallowing of God's name thus becomes inseparable from the hallowing of one's own life, as believers are called to live in a way that reflects the holy character of the God they worship.
Biblical Context
Hallowing appears throughout Scripture from Genesis 2:3 (the Sabbath) through the Levitical regulations (Exodus 29; 40:9; Leviticus 22:2-3, 32; 25:10; Numbers 3:13; 18:8) to the prophets (Ezekiel 36:23) and the New Testament (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Corinthians 1:2). The concept unifies creation, worship, priesthood, and ethics under the overarching theme of God's holiness.
Theological Significance
Hallowing is the human response to God's intrinsic holiness. It recognizes that God is fundamentally different from everything in creation and that approaching him requires reverence, preparation, and consecration. The call to hallow God's name in the Lord's Prayer places divine glory at the center of Christian prayer and life. The progression from hallowed objects and times to hallowed persons and communities shows that God's ultimate purpose is not the sanctification of things but the transformation of people into bearers of his holy character.
Historical Background
The concept of sacred separation was common throughout the ancient Near East. Egyptian priests underwent purification rituals before entering temples. Mesopotamian temples had elaborate consecration ceremonies for new buildings and sacred objects. Israel's system was distinctive in its connection to ethical holiness rather than merely ritual cleanness. The early church continued the practice of setting apart leaders through prayer and the laying on of hands (Acts 13:2-3), adapting the Old Testament concept of hallowing for the new covenant community. The Lord's Prayer became central to Christian worship from the earliest period, with the Didache (c. AD 70-100) instructing believers to pray it three times daily.