| 22. Linguistic Exegesis This verse features a fronted object introduced by the conjunction-plus-object marker ve’et {וְאֶת | wə-ʾet} ‘direct object marker’, directing focus to Balaam son of Beor. The construct chain ben Be’or {בֶּן־בְּעֹור | ben-bə-ʿôr} ‘son of Beor’ specifies lineage, and the participle ha-kosem {הַקּוֹסֵם | hak-kô-sem} ‘the diviner’ identifies his role. The verb hargu {הָרְג֧וּ | hā-rə-gû} ‘they killed’ in the Qal perfect third person masculine plural presents the main action, followed by the instrumental phrase ba-cherev {בַּחֶרֶב | ba-ḥe-rev} ‘with the sword’, indicating the means. Finally, the locative el {אֶל | ʾel} ‘among’ with chalaleihem {חַלְלֵיהֶם | ḥal-lê-hêm} ‘their slain’ situates him within the casualties, underscoring the completeness of the defeat. |