| 20. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive veyeter {וְיֶתֶר | wə-yé-ter} ‘and the rest,’ marking a continuative summary. The construct phrase divrei Zimri {דִּבְרֵי זִמְרִי | diḇ-rê zim-rî} ‘words of Zimri’ identifies the subject. The compound ve-kishro asher qashar {וְקִשְׁרוֹ אֲשֶׁר קָשָׁר | wə-qiš-rô ʾă-šer qā-šar} forms a construct chain with a relative clause ‘and his conspiracy which he conspired,’ highlighting clandestine intent. The interrogative halohem {הֲלֹא־הֵם | ha-lōʾ-hēm} ‘are they not’ directs readers to external sources, followed by the passive participle ketuvim {כְּתוּבִים | ke-tû-ḇîm} ‘written.’ The phrase al sefer divrei hayyamim le-malke Yisrael {עַל סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | ʿal sê-per diḇ-rê ha-yā-mîm lə-mal-ḵê yis-rā-ʾēl} ‘in the book of the words of the days for the kings of Israel’ functions as a formal historiographical citation. |