In modern usage a name is little more than a tag by which a person may be identified. In Bible times, however, a person’s name was more intimately associated with him as an individual. Often it “stood for traits of character that the parent desired to see developed in the child” (PK 481). God’s name stands for His character (see Ex. 34:5-7). The significance the Jews attached to the divine name is reflected in the reverence with which they uttered it, or, more commonly, left it unarticulated or used a circumlocution for it (see Vol. I, pp. 170-173). The name of God is holy, or “hallowed,” because God Himself self is holy. We hallow His name by acknowledging His holiness of character and by permitting Him to reproduce that character in us.

 The tense of the Greek word shows that the request is anticipatory, looking forward to the time when God’s holy name will be universally hallowed (cf. on v. 10).

Gr. hagiazō, “to regard [or “treat”] as holy,” related to the adjective hagios, “holy.” The name of God is honored in two ways:

 (1) by divine acts that lead men to acknowledge and reverence Jehovah as God (see Ex. 15:14, 15; Joshua 2:9-11; 5:1; Ps. 145:4, 6, 12), and

 (2) by men honoring Him as God and according Him the worship and obedience that are His due (see Isa. 58:13; Matt. 7:21-23; Acts 10:35; etc.).

 In spite of the close, personal relationship between their “Father” in heaven and themselves, His earthborn sons will nevertheless always be aware of His infinite majesty and greatness (see Isa. 57:15) and of their own utter insignificance (see Matt. 6:5). The consciousness that “God is in heaven, and thou upon earth” (Eccl. 5:2) brings to the contrite heart the spirit of reverence and humility that is the first condition of salvation.

 First in every prayer should be a recognition of our sonship to the heavenly Father. We may be unworthy to address Him as “Father,” but whenever we do so in sincerity He receives us with rejoicing (see Luke 15:21-24) and acknowledges us as His sons indeed. The fact that He is our Father binds us together as Christians in the great, universal fellowship of faith with all men who in sincerity and truth recognize the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 The word “ye” is emphatic in the Greek. It should be remembered that Jesus was addressing Himself particularly to the Twelve, the new charter members of the kingdom of heaven (see on ch. 5:1, 2). Here, the word “ye” stands in contrast with the “hypocrites” of ch. 6:2 and the “heathen” of v. 7.

 That is, after this pattern—not necessarily after these identical words—a pattern in content but not necessarily in form. The context indicates that this prayer is set forth as a model in contrast with the “vain repetitions” and “much speaking” of heathen prayers, characteristics that had been adopted by the Pharisees (see on v. 7).

 Citizens of Christ’s kingdom were told, “Be not ye therefore like unto them,” but “after this manner therefore pray ye” (vs. 8, 9).

 It is interesting to note that the various thoughts expressed in the Lord’s Prayer, and often the words themselves in which the thoughts are expressed, may be found in either the OT or in Jewish ritual prayers known as Ha-Kaddish. Inasmuch as the thoughts expressed in the Lord’s Prayer were already current in Jewish prayers in the time of Christ, we may explain the parallel on the basis that everything good in Judaism, including the sentiments expressed in its prayers, originally came from Christ (see PP 366, 367; DA 52). All that He had given His people was good, and He acknowledged it (ch. 5:17, 18); but around these revelations of divine truth had sprung up a dense growth of human tradition and formal worship that well-nigh obscured that which was essential to salvation (see on ch. 5:17, 19, 22). This was strikingly true of the prayers the rabbis intoned and taught the people to repeat.

 Prayer had become lengthy and repetitious, and its sincerity of thought and expression obscured by an impersonal literary form, beautiful in phraseology but too often lacking in sincerity of spirit (see on vs. 7, 8). In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus rescued from the mass of literary verbiage that which was essential and restored it to a simple and compact form whose meaning could be comprehended by the most simple soul. Thus, while reflecting to a certain extent the prayers of Judaism, the form of the Lord’s Prayer is nevertheless an inspired and original prayer in its own right. Its originality inheres in its selection of petitions and in its arrangement. Its universal acceptance reflects the fact that it expresses more perfectly than any other prayer the fundamental needs of the human heart.