ABSTRACT The term “a light unto the nations” is a hallmark of modern Jewish identity but the subtle divergences in the meaning of the expression among its diverse proponents shed light on the continuities and differences among modern Jewish ideologies. David Ben-Gurion, in particular, regarded the calling to be “a light unto the nations” as a central mission of the State of Israel. Before the 1950s, however, almost all Zionists, including Ben-Gurion himself, repudiated the term because they associated it with diasporist ideology. This article explores its shifting meanings in Zionist discourse, with a special focus on Ben-Gurion’s rhetoric. It explains Ben-Gurion’s changing attitudes term and shows how his innovative uses of the term allowed him to navigate between modernity and traditional Judaism, between Zionism and its opponents, and between the various streams within the Zionist movement. It reminds us that the lexical continuity of figurative terms can mask conceptual fluctuation and enhances a picture of Zionism that acknowledges both its revolutionary novelty and its place in the long continuum of Jewish life.

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“或 la-goyim”：从侨民神学到犹太复国主义教条

摘要 “万国之光”一词是现代犹太人身份的标志，但其不同支持者在表达含义上的微妙分歧揭示了现代犹太意识形态之间的连续性和差异。大卫·本·古里安（David Ben-Gurion）尤其将成为“万国之光”的呼召视为以色列国的核心使命。然而，在 1950 年代之前，包括本-古里安本人在内的几乎所有犹太复国主义者都拒绝接受这个词，因为他们将其与侨民意识形态联系在一起。本文探讨了其在犹太复国主义话语中不断变化的含义，特别关注本-古里安的修辞。它解释了本古里安不断变化的态度术语，并展示了他对该术语的创新使用如何使他能够在现代性和传统犹太教之间、在犹太复国主义与其对手之间进行导航，以及犹太复国主义运动内的各种流派之间。它提醒我们，比喻术语的词汇连续性可以掩盖概念上的波动，并增强了犹太复国主义的图景，承认其革命性的新颖性和它在犹太人生活的长期连续体中的地位。