Numbers 21:4 (KJV)

Passage

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

Numbers 21:3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

Numbers 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

Numbers 21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

Numbers 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "journeyed", "mount", "compass", "land", "edom", "soul", "people", and "much". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "journeyed" and "mount", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And the LORD hearkened to the voice..." into verse 5's "And the people spake against God and...", so "journeyed" and "mount" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "journeyed" and "mount" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.