Imamat 24:17-18

24:17 “‘If a man beats any person to death, ¹  he must be put to death. 24:18 One who beats an animal to death ²  must make restitution for it, life for life. ³ 

[24:17]  ¹ tn Heb “And if a man strikes any soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] of mankind.” The idiom seems to derive from the idea of striking a fatal blow to the very “life” (literally, “soul”) of a human being, not just landing a blow on their body (HALOT 698 s.v. נכה hif.2). On the difficult of the meaning and significance of the term נֶפֶשׁ see the notes on Lev 17:10-11.

[24:18]  ² tn Heb “And one who strikes a soul of an animal.”

[24:18]  ³ tn Heb “soul under soul.” Cf. KJV “beast for beast”; NCV “must give…another animal to take its place.”