The term originated from verses in the Book of Isaiah: In the first of these instances, Rashi interpreted 'nations' as referring to the tribes of Israel and not to the Gentiles. The second, and especially the third are clear references to other nations. The context of these three references are a prophecy of comfort and a promise to the people of Israel, in which God will restore the people of Israel to their land, and this return will cause the rest of the nations to open their eyes, and look up to the people of Israel, as well as to walk in the way of the One God.
From the commencement of the era of the national revival of the Jewish people, various Jewish philosophers began to see in the national revival a chance to fulfill the prophets' vision of a "Light Unto the Nations". One example that may give an insight into the term's meaning, is the one of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, one of the chief leaders of the Religious Zionist Movement, saw in the aspiration of the people of Israel to be a "light unto the nations" a noble part of its designation. Upon his return from Thailand on a volunteer service trip with American Jewish World Service, Rabbi David Wolpe said to his congregation at Sinai Temple, "We don't sufficiently think about the fact that because the idea is that you're supposed to be an or lagoim, that is a light to the nations, that you can't do it if you never do anything among the nations. If you only have your light on at home, nobody else sees it.... Nowhere in any Jewish scripture that I'm aware of will you see, 'Jews must only help other Jews.' It doesn't exist. Some Jews will tell you that, but Judaism doesn't tell you that." In February 2018, President Donald Trump referred to the United States as a "light to all nations" at the Christian National Prayer Breakfast.
In his writings and speeches, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion emphasized his vision of the state of Israel as a moral and social beacon to the whole world, and by that, in his view, it shall implement the vision of the prophets. The selection of the Menorah as the Emblem of Israel was derived from the image of the state of Israel as a "Light Unto the Nations". Israel's vision of "Light Unto the Nations" was reflected in the words of the current Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, in his address at the 2010 Herzliya Conference:
"You are dealing with our people's fate because it is clear today that the fate of the Jewish people is the fate of the Jewish state. There is no demographic or practical existence for the Jewish people without a Jewish state. This doesn't mean that the Jewish state does not face tremendous challenges, but our existence, our future, is here. The greatest change that came with the establishment of the Jewish state was that Jews became more than just a collection of individuals, communities and fragments of communities. They became a sovereign collective in their own territory. Our ability as a collective to determine our own destiny is what grants us the tools to shape our future—no longer as a ruled people, defeated and persecuted, but as a proud people with a magnificent country and one which always aspires to serve as 'Light Unto the Nations'."
Benjamin Netanyahu in his 2017 UN speech quoted Isaiah again that the state of Israel is "a light unto the nations, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth".
