And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob: verse 35 says that Laban put his sons in charge of these animals that Jacob wanted. In verse 36 the text does not say that Laban accompanied his sons, but to avoid Jacob he probably did. Set a distance … means that Laban and his sons led this flock away for three days to a distant grazing ground. In a number of translations Laban’s intent is brought out by the rendering “They went for three days and stayed a long way away from Jacob.” In some languages there are colloquial ways of saying that Laban and his sons “disappeared” or “made themselves scarce.”

And Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flock: this action takes place while Laban and his sons are going away with the speckled and spotted animals to separate these animals from Laban’s flock. In translation it may be necessary to show the relation between these two events. We may say, as does Revised English Bible, “while Jacob was taking care of the rest….”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .