“Hallowed Be Your Name”: A Call to Prepare Sacred Space Within

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus calls us to first prepare a sacred space within, then to hallow the Divine Presence who lives there.

Stockcake: Creating sacred space within through meditation and divine light.

Abwun d’bashmaya “Our Father in heaven” Nethqadash shmakh “Hallowed be your name”

Each line of the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic feels like a key — unlocking something profound and long hidden.

We began this journey with the first line: Abwun d’bashmaya — “Our Father in heaven.” That line alone shattered our thinking about God and opened up a vision of heaven not as a distant realm, but as something present,, breathable, and within.

Now, we move to the second line: Nethqadash shmakh — “Hallowed be your name.”

These words, spoken by Jesus in his native tongue, carry layers of meaning that often get lost in translation. And this line?

It isn’t just about reverence. It’s about participation.

For much of my life, the phrase felt vague — something I was supposed to honor but couldn’t fully grasp. That changed when I began to explore the Aramaic: Nethqadash shmakh (pronounced nith-qah-dahsh shm-ah-kh).

Jesus wasn’t simply calling us to revere God. He was inviting us to do something — to prepare a sacred space within ourselves.

It’s a radical call to action: to hallow the Divine presence already dwelling within us.

Nethqadash shmakh

What appears to be just two Aramaic words translated into English as “Hallowed be your name,” became alive with meaning in its original language.

This ancient Aramaic phrase explodes with meaning releasing light and understanding within.

The time has come for you and me to return to Jesus’ setting to allow the richness of the message in the Aramaic words used in the Lord’s Prayer to ignite and refresh our hearts and souls over and over — let’s dive into this second line, “hallowed be Your name.”

What did Jesus really mean by Nethqadash shmakh (Hallowed be your name)

Shmakh

In shmakh, the root, shm, appears here again as we’ve seen in the first line in the word shmaya (heaven). Keep in mind that the root, shm, is central to Jesus’ heartfelt message in this prayer, and in all his other teachings.

Shm speaks of the divine name, light, sound, and experience. Notice the various possible meanings. (Remember that there isn’t just one literal translation from Jesus’ Aramaic words into English or any other language).

The idea of multiple meanings is challenging, and that’s the reason for our journey from our Western thinking into Jesus’ way of thinking in those ancient times.

Recall that in the first line of the Lord’s prayer the shm (from shmaya) flows throughout the universe, underlying Oneness (Unity) in which everything lives. This meaning continues into the second line but aiming towards a particular point.

qadash

In the Aramaic thinking of Jesus’s day, anyone can make something holy (qadash). You only have to simply set it aside for a designated purpose, and it becomes qadash (holy or hallowed).

We can do this with something outside, and we can do this within ourselves — on the inside.

As mentioned before, in the ancient Aramaic world, nothing was separated. Inside and outside were viewed as one — unified, a unit.

So, it’s no surprise that they could set aside something within in the same intense manner as setting aside something in the physical environment — both had equal weight and importance in their world.

Making something holy — qadash — means to create a holy space within

So the term that is translated “hallow” from the Aramaic, qadash can mean to separate something, hold it sacred, revered (esteemed, unchallengeable, sanctified). And when we do “we create a holy space for it within.”

There’s more…

The roots of Nethqadash [nith-qah-dahsh] invoke or reveal images of someone clearing and preparing the ground for a special plant that has been set aside.

The drawings of this Aramaic root word depict a person bending his/her head over a special place to sow the seeds. From this picture we get the idea of bending over our heart to plant seeds of devotion and perseverance, both at the same time.

By this act, we are creating a sacred place within.

This is exactly what we can hold in our minds and hearts when we say, “hallowed be your name” — create a sacred place within. This is the inner place that Jesus instructed us to go to when he said, “enter into your closet (Matthew 6:6).

Preparing the inner “temple” — the inner sanctuary

But this inner “temple” — holy place within — can only be developed by letting go, clearing away some of the inner clutter that keeps us too busy.

When we release ourselves from being too busy and distracted, we can become silent.

When we become silent within, we can hear the “still small voice” within.

Ahhhh… so this is the “sweet spot” that Jesus spoke of — we’ve entered the inner closet and here’s where we pray. Amazing, simply amazing!

We’ve Entered Jesus’ Aramaic World

We’re now in Jesus’ Aramaic world where prayer always directs us into a specific, individual practice.

Jesus wants us to make the experience of Abwun [Abwoon] practical and useful. So, in this line of the prayer, he directs us to take action — create a place for Abwun — the Absolute One — to live inside.

This the stage is set, and we’re now ready for the light and sound of shem — the clarity and intelligence which will arise with peace.

And that light becomes usable — permeates our beingness in everyday life, like light in a lampstand, a candle, or a menorah.

Let’s Wrap it up — For Now

This second line of the Lord’s Prayer has a surprising twist — it was not about only revering God, but our taking action in preparation to experience God.

There’s something about Jesus’ words — his teachings — that continues to stir something deep in us. Many of us sense that there’s more to his message than what we’ve been taught — we are right. We will no longer settle for surface meanings.

Our inner world craves the complete understanding of Yeshua’s words in the Lord’s Prayer.

His ancient Aramaic dialect is rich with symbols, pictures, allusions meant to guide us back to God (Abwun, Father) and to experience God in our daily living.

And don’t we want that?

Let’s stop briefly for a quick practice:

(By the way, you’re not alone here. Just by this act of stopping with the intention to connect, you get help from the One your heart yearns for.)

Take a few deep breaths and relax. Quiet your thoughts

Clear the ground of your hearts of all clutter and distractions.

You’re creating space within.

Your quieted heart has become a sacred temple,

ready to hear the “still small voice” of the One

Yeshua called “Father.”

Let’s close off with two possible understandings of this second line of the Lord’s Prayer:

Nethqadash shmakh [[nith-qah-dahsh shm-ah-kh]

Help us let go, clear the space inside

of busy forgetfulness: so the Name

comes to live.

Your name, your sound can move us if

we tune our hearts as instruments

for its tone.

— Neil Douglas-Klotz

May I suggest that we meditate on these words, sitting or lying quietly? Do you think that this practice will help quiet your heart, creating a sacred space where you can hallow God’s name?

This is what Jesus taught.

This is what he still wants us to experience today.

In the upcoming article, we’ll continue to explore the Aramaic meaning behind the words of the Lord’s Prayer, as we go to the third line:

Teytey malkuthakh “Your kingdom come.”

The Aramaic insights into the Lord’s Prayer are drawn from the work of Aramaic Biblical scholar, Neil Douglas-Klotz.

Please note, the words provided are transliterations of the Aramaic, using the English alphabet, and not the original Aramaic script.

Image: Photo

Resources That Shifted My Perspective

The journey to a deeper understanding wasn’t one I took alone. Along with the guidance of Spirit, these are a few of the companions that helped me along the way.

· Douglas-Klotz, Neil. Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus: The Hidden Teachings of Life &Death

• Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus

· Leloup, Jean-Yves. The Gospel of Thomas: The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus

· YouTube: Neil Douglas-Klotz Talks to Us About Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned as we continue exploring this timeless and transformative message meant for all of humanity.

If you liked this post or have any ideas of your own, let me know in the comments.