Numbers 21:4 (YLT)

Passage

And they journey from mount Hor, the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people is short in the way,

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:2 And Israel voweth a vow to Jehovah, and saith, `If Thou dost certainly give this people into my hand, then I have devoted their cities;'

Numbers 21:3 and Jehovah hearkeneth to the voice of Israel, and giveth up the Canaanite, and he devoteth them and their cities, and calleth the name of the place Hormah.

Numbers 21:4 And they journey from mount Hor, the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people is short in the way,

Numbers 21:5 and the people speak against God, and against Moses, `Why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to die in a wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water, and our soul hath been weary of this light bread.'

Numbers 21:6 And Jehovah sendeth among the people the burning serpents, and they bite the people, and much people of Israel die;

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "and Jehovah hearkeneth to the voice of..." into verse 5's "and the people speak against God and...", so "journey" 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 "journey" and "mount" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.