The word נָקַם, naqam occurs 44 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.  In the single verse that speaks of punishment in the English NASB, it means that the person undergoing the punishment experiences it while he’s alive. The word is also used in different contexts dealing with avenging (36), exacting (2), execute (2), punished (1), takes (2), vengeance (20).  Due to the large nature of the research necessary in the overall topic of annihilationism, I’ve decided to go with the English translation used in the NASB.  The ESV uses similar if not identical translations into the English.  However, it does not render Exodus 21:20 as punishment, but as being avenged.

1. Avenge, avenged, avenging, avenger, 36
   1. Deut. 32:43; 2 Kings 9:7, avenge the blood of His servants
   2. Jer. 5:9, 29; 9:9, God will avenge Himself
   3. 1 Sam. 24:12; 2 Kings 9:7; Esther 8:13; Isa. 1:24; Jeremiah 46:10, Ps. 44:16; 99:8, etc.
2. Consciously Experienced Punishment, 1,
   1. Ex. 21:20, punishment for striking a slave who dies
3. Vengeance
   1. Gen. 4:15, God will take vengeance on whoever kills Cain
   2. Lev. 19:18, do not take vengeance, but love your neighbor
   3. Jer 15:15, vengeance on persecutors
   4. Ex. 21:21; Num. 31:2; Jer. 50:15; Ezek. 24:8, 25:12, etc.

 

• Hebrew word: נָקַם, naqam
  Meaning:   to punish, avenge
• Strong’s #: H5358
• Frequency:  35 occurrences in Old Testament;

 

TABLE OF ALL OLD TESTAMENT USAGES OF NAQAM, נָקַם INTO ENGLISH PUNISH
Address	Verse	Meaning
Exod 21:20	“If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished.	Punishment experienced while alive

 

• נָקַם nâqam, naw-kam´; a prim. root; to grudge, i.e. avenge or punish:—avenge (-r, self), punish, revenge (self), surely, take vengeance.” (Strong, James. A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009)
• נָקַם naqam (667d); a prim. root; to avenge, take vengeance:—avenge(9), avenged(5), avenger(2), avenging(2), exact(1), execute(1), punished(1), revengeful(1), take(2), take revenge(1), take vengeance(4), taken(1), takes vengeance(1), taking(1), vengeance shall be taken(1), vengeance will be taken(1). (Thomas, Robert L. New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998)
•  נָקַם (nāqam) take vengeance, revenge, avenge oneself, be avenged, be punished (cf. gōʾēl as the “avenger of blood”). (Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999.)