73. Psalm 114: Et in diebus meis invocabo te. You say that “te” is not in the Greek, and that’s all right. Hence it should be erased from your copies. In the same: Placebo Domino in regione vivorum, for which you say you have read in the Greek: Placebo in conspectu Domini. But this is wrong.
74. Psalm 117: Et in nomine Domini, quia ultus sum in eos. You say that “quia” is not found in the Greek texts. It should be added, however, in the Latin copies under an asterisk.
75. Psalm 118: Et meditabar in mandatis tuis quæ dilexi. You say that in the Greek the word vehementer is added. But this is superfluous. In the same: Levavi manus meas ad mandata tua quæ dilexi. You say that you have read in the Greek, “ad mandata tua quæ dilexi [vehementer]”12; but “vehementer” is superfluous. In the same: Cogitavi vias meas. You say that you have read in the Greek, “[juxta]12 vias tuas,” but “juxta” is superfluous and “meas” is more correct. In the same: Et verti pedes meos in testimonia tua. You say you have read in the Greek, “et averti”; but the prefix is superfluous. In the same: Ego autem in toto corde scrutabor mandata tua. You say that you have read in the Greek, “in toto corde meo”; but “meo” is superfluous here. In the same: anima mea in manibus meis semper ; et legem tuam non sum oblitus. For this you say you have read in the Greek, “Anima mea in manibus tuis semper.” It is to be noted, however, that the Hebrew the Septuagint and all other translators have here “in manibus meis,” and not “in manibus tuis,” which is in the Hebrew bachaffi. All ecclesiastical writers among the Greeks interpret this place that way, and its sense is briefly the following: “I am daily in danger and hold my life, as it were, in my very hands, and yet I do not forget your law.” In the same: Exitus aquarum deduxerunt oculi mei, quia non custodierunt legem tuam. For this you say you have read in the Greek, “quia non custodivi legem tuam.” But this is wrong because also the Hebrew text has: Rivi aquarum fluebant de oculis meis, quia non custodierunt legem tuam. In the same: Pronuntiabit lingua mea eloquium tuum. You say that you have read in the Greek for “pronuntiabit” φθέγξεται, which word means either “pronuntiabit,” “effabitur,” or “loquetur,” as these are synonymous. Finally, from the Hebrew I have also translated thus: Loquetur lingua mea sermonem tuum.
76. Psalm 119: Domine, libera animam meam a labiis iniquis, a lingua dolosa. You say you have read in the Greek, “et a lingua dolosa”; but “et” is superfluous.
77. Psalm 126: Beatus vir qui implebit desiderium suum ex ipsis. You say that in your Greek text the word “vir” does not occur. It is, however, clearly expressed in both the Hebrew and the Septuagint.
78. Psalm 129: Propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine. You say that you have found in the Greek: Propter nomen tuum. I confess that a number of texts have that reading. But since we are investigating the truth, we simply must adhere to what we find in the Hebrew. And there we find for “nomine” or “lege” the word thira, which Aquila translates by φόβον, that is, “timorem,” Symmachus and Theodotion by νόμον, that is “legem,” thinking, as they did, that the Hebrew had the word thora on account of the similarity between jod { י } and waw { ו }, which differ only in size. The Fifth Edition has “terrorem,” the Sixth “verbum.”
79. Psalm 131: Sicut juravit Domino, votum vovit Deo Jacob. You say that you have found in the Greek, for my rendering “votum vovit,” the form ηὔξατο, and you think that I should have translated “oravit”! This, however, is wrong, for εὐχή means either “orationem” or “votum,” according to the context, as in: Redde Deo vota tua, that is: τὰς εὐχάς σου.
80. Psalm 135: Qui fecit luminaria magna. You say that you have found in the Greek: magna solus. But “solus” has been added from a preceding verse, where we read: Qui fecit mirabilia magna solus. Hence you should insert it there and omit it here as superfluous.
81. Psalm 137: Quoniam magnificasti super omne, nomen sanctum tuum. You say that you have found in the Greek: super omnes. The Septuagint, however, has: ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνας ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιόν σου, as I, too, have translated into the Latin. Besides, remember that the Hebrew has this reading: Quia magnificasti super omne nomen tuum, Verbum tuum. According to the Latin version, however, the meaning is: “Quoniam magnificasti super omne nomen” — that is, above everything that may be called holy in Heaven and on earth — “filium tuum.”
82. Psalm 138: Quia non est sermo in lingua mea. For this you say you have read in the Greek: Quia non est dolus in lingua mea. But only the Sixth Edition has this reading. Besides, both the Septuagint and all translators and the very Hebrew text have either λαλιὰν or λόγον, that is, “eloquium” and “verbum.” The Hebrew word in question is mala.
83. Psalm 139: Funes extenderunt in laqueum. For this you say the Greek has: Funes extenderunt laqueum pedibus meis. But that is wrong in this place. In the same: You say that you have found in the Greek, for “Habitabunt recti cum vultu tuo,” the reading: Et habitabunt. But the conjunction “et” is superfluous here.
84. Psalm 140: Dissipata sunt ossa nostra secus infernum, for which you say you have read in the Greek: ossa eorum. That reading, however, is wrong, too.
85. Psalm 146: Nec in tibiis viri beneplacitum erit ei. You say that for “ei” you have read “Domino,” which does not occur.
86. And since you are asking at the end of your missive, and my holy son Avitus likewise has requested me often, how certain Greek words should be translated, I shall note these briefly. Νεομηνία is the beginning of the month, which in Latin we may properly call “kalendas.” However, since the Hebrews calculate the month on the basis of the revolution of the moon around the earth, and since the Greeks call the moon μήνη, νεομηνία means, as it were, “new moon”; ἐρῆμος means “desertum” or “solitudinem”; θρόνος signifies “sedem” or “solium,” νυκτικόραξ, as I have said already,16 “noctuam”; κυνόμυϊα is wrongly written with the Greek letter υ and consequently translated by the Latins as “musca canina,” whereas it should be written, according to the Hebrew, with the diphthong οι, so that the form becomes κοινόμυϊα, which means “omne muscarum genus”; this Aquila translated by πάνμικτον, that is, “omnimodam muscam.” Finally, the word λαξευτήριον, which has been rendered into the Latin by “asciam,” I consider a type of tool with which stone is worked. Thus, translating from the Hebrew, I said: Et nunc sculpturas ejus pariter bipenne et dolatoriis deraserunt. Hence λαξευτήριον may be rendered by “dolatorium.”