📖 Exodus 19:6
וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ־לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ
(Ve’atem tihyu-li mamlekhet kohanim vegoi kadosh – You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation)
Paleo-Hebrew/Early Script: “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Israel’s calling is to be YHWH’s priests, set apart by obedience.
KJV: “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”
NIV: “You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
📖 Isaiah 49:6
לִהְיוֹתְךָ לְאוֹר גּוֹיִם
(Lihyotkha le’or goyim – To be a light to the nations)
Paleo-Hebrew/Square Script: “To be a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Israel’s purpose is to reflect YHWH’s light to all nations.
KJV: “I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
NIV: “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
📖 Matthew 5:16
ܝܗܒܬ ܢܘܗܪܟܘܢ ܩܕܡ ܒܢܝܢܫܐ ܕܢܚܙܘܢ ܥܒܕܝܟܘܢ ܛܒܐ
(Aramaic: Yahavt nuhrkhun qdam bnaynasha d’nachzun ‘abdaykhun taba – Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works)
Aramaic Peshitta: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Obedience, not heritage, makes you a light to glorify YHWH.
KJV: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
NIV: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
📖 Isaiah 8:20
לְתוֹרָה וְלִתְעוּדָה אִם־לֹא יֹאמְרוּ כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֵין־לוֹ שָׁחַר
(Letorah velite’udah im-lo yomru kadavar hazeh ein-lo shachar – To the Torah and the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, there is no light in them)
Paleo-Hebrew/Square Script: “To the Torah and the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
Without Torah obedience, there is no light.
KJV: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
NIV: “Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.”