Whoever strikes a man is literally “a striker of a man,” using a participle that means both Whoever and strikes. The same verb is used in 2.11, where Revised Standard Version has “beating” and Good News Translation has “kill.” Here Good News Translation correctly has “Whoever hits a man and kills him,” since the law is very specific: so that he dies. This law therefore does not apply to someone who strikes a man if the victim does not die.

Shall be put to death, literally “dying he shall be caused to die,” is a very emphatic form. New International Version has “shall surely be put to death,” and others have “must be put to death” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). The same form is used for the other three laws in this series—verses 15, 16, and 17. In languages that do not have a passive voice, one may express this as “they shall execute [or, kill] him.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .