"city upon a hill" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From Matthew 5:14. Cited by English colonist John Winthrop in the 1630 sermon A Model of Christian Charity. In turn, Winthrop's sermon was co-opted by later figures as an example of American exceptionalism.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "city upon a hill",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A morally exemplary settlement, destined by God for greater things. Most often used to refer to the United States, or more specifically the Massachusetts Bay Colony."
      ],
      "id": "en-city_upon_a_hill-en-noun-f6IZZexj",
      "links": [
        [
          "United States",
          "United States"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "city on a hill"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "A Model of Christian Charity",
        "John Winthrop",
        "city upon a hill"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "city upon a hill"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From Matthew 5:14. Cited by English colonist John Winthrop in the 1630 sermon A Model of Christian Charity. In turn, Winthrop's sermon was co-opted by later figures as an example of American exceptionalism.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "city upon a hill",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A morally exemplary settlement, destined by God for greater things. Most often used to refer to the United States, or more specifically the Massachusetts Bay Colony."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "United States",
          "United States"
        ]
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "A Model of Christian Charity",
        "John Winthrop",
        "city upon a hill"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "city on a hill"
    }
  ],
  "word": "city upon a hill"
}