So Jacob served seven years: in the Hebrew text both verse 20 and verse 21 begin with the normal connective, and there is no indication of a paragraph break. Some translations make verse 20 the conclusion of the negotiation and begin a new paragraph at verse 21 (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version, Speiser). Most of these translations, including Revised Standard Version, begin with So; but translators may find that a conclusion marker is not required here.

Other translations regard verse 20 as beginning the next episode, which continues to verse 30, and they make verse 20 the beginning of the new paragraph. New Jerusalem Bible still indicates the link with verses 15-19 by beginning with “So Jacob worked….” Revised English Bible, however, joins verse 20 to verse 21 as a time clause: “When Jacob had worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like a few days…, he said to Laban, ‘I have served my time. Give me my wife….’ ” Translators may follow either of these models.

For Rachel may need to be expressed as “in order to marry Rachel” or “to get Rachel as his wife.”

They seemed to him but a few days: they refers to the seven years of work. They seemed … a few days may need to be expressed, for example, as “The seven years passed as quickly as a few days.”

Because of the love he had for her: or “because he loved Rachel so much.”

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 .