Numbers 14:4 (YLT)

Passage

And they say one unto another, `Let us appoint a head, and turn back to Egypt.'

Nearby Context

Numbers 14:2 and all the sons of Israel murmur against Moses, and against Aaron, and all the company say unto them, `O that we had died in the land of Egypt, or in this wilderness, O that we had died!

Numbers 14:3 and why is Jehovah bringing us in unto this land to fall by the sword? our wives and our infants are become a prey; is it not good for us to turn back to Egypt?'

Numbers 14:4 And they say one unto another, `Let us appoint a head, and turn back to Egypt.'

Numbers 14:5 And Moses falleth--Aaron also--on their faces, before all the assembly of the company of the sons of Israel.

Numbers 14:6 And Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of those spying the land, have rent their garments,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "another", "appoint", "head", "turn", "back", and "egypt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "another" and "appoint", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "and why is Jehovah bringing us in..." into verse 5's "And Moses falleth--Aaron also--on their faces before...", so "another" and "appoint" 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 "another" and "appoint" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.