 Omri became king only after four years of war with Tibni, another claimant to the throne of Israel.In the biblical text, Zimri is introduced as the military commander who leads half of the chariotry in the army of Elah, King of Israel.The text offers no background information on Zimri, focusing entirely on the assassination of Elah by Zimri, and the subsequent extermination of the House of Baasha which Zimri orchestrated.