Matthew 6:9 Meaning and Explanation
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Maybe you have knelt to pray and felt the words run dry, unsure how to begin or whether anyone is listening. Into that hesitation Jesus places the gentlest of openings. Before you ask for a single thing, you are invited to lift your eyes and say, Our Father. The One who holds heaven is not distant or cold to you. He bends near as a Father, and you are welcomed to come and to call His name holy.
Jesus teaches us to begin prayer by calling the maker of heaven our Father.
The Context of Matthew 6:9
From the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus has just warned against praying to be seen and against heaping up empty words (Matthew 6:5-8). Here He gives His followers the words we now call the Lord's Prayer, a model for how to come to God.
What Does Matthew 6:9 Mean?
Jesus opens the prayer with a word that would have stopped His listeners short: Father. The God who is in heaven, high and holy, is the one He teaches us to address as our own. And it is 'our' Father, not only mine, a prayer that gathers us in together. Then comes the first request, that His name be hallowed, held holy, set apart and honored as it truly is. Before we ask for anything we need, we are taught to want God's name to be loved rightly in the world.
That we can say Father at all is the gift Jesus brings. He is the Son by nature, and through Him we are welcomed as children, given the right to come close to the God who made us. The shape of the prayer is itself good news: we approach not a distant power but a Father who is in heaven, near enough to hear and great enough to answer. Christ puts His own family word in our mouths.
Matthew 6:9 in the Original Language
hagiazo (ἁγιάζω), 'hallowed' -- to treat as holy, to set apart and honor as sacred.
How to Apply Matthew 6:9 Today
When prayer feels hard to begin, this verse hands us the first words: we come to God as a Father, together with others who do the same, asking first that His name be honored. Starting there reorders everything that follows.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 6:9
What does Matthew 6:9 mean?
Jesus teaches us to begin prayer by calling the maker of heaven our Father.
What is the context of Matthew 6:9?
From the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus has just warned against praying to be seen and against heaping up empty words (Matthew 6:5-8). Here He gives His followers the words we now call the Lord's Prayer, a model for how to come to God.
How can I apply Matthew 6:9 today?
When prayer feels hard to begin, this verse hands us the first words: we come to God as a Father, together with others who do the same, asking first that His name be honored. Starting there reorders everything that follows.
Reflection & Prayer
Notice how Jesus teaches you to begin. He turns your eyes first toward His face. Our Father which art in heaven steadies you in who He is before you ever speak of what you need. And hallowed be thy name turns your first breath of prayer into reverence, setting His name above every worry crowding your heart. When you do not know how to pray, start here. Speak to your Father, and honor His name. Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Teach me to come to you as your child, with reverence and with trust. Amen.