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I was reading Psalm 95 in the Vulgate using my BlueLetterBible app:

[Vulgate 94:1] venite laudemus Dominum iubilemus petrae Iesu nostro

I was quite surprised to see the word "Iesu". I began to investigate and realised this was a transliteration of the Hebrew. But then I noticed that the other copies of the Vulgate that I have had a completely different verse 1, seemingly translated from the LXX:

PSALMUS 95 (94) 1 Venite, exsultemus Domino; iubilemus Deo salutari nostro.

I have since learned about the 3 versions of the Vulgate, the Clementine, Stuttgart, and the Nova Vulgata. But neither of the two I can find online seem to have the text that BlueLetterBible has, and the Nova Vulgata seems to be the one that should be more closely aligned with the Hebrew rather than the LXX.

So what gives? Also, unrelated question that probably should be entirely separate, who decided not to translate "of salvation" and to transliterate it instead?

BlueLetterBible Clementine Nova Vulgata

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While writing this question, I finally found the answer. I shouldn't have been surprised - BlueLetterBible uses the one remaining version of the Vulgate that I hadn't checked - the Stuttgart one. I came across this page which cleared things up for me:

How do you know which “Vulgate” you have? Open up your Latin Vulgate to Genesis 3:20. How is Eve’s name spelled? This will immediately tell which “Vulgate” you have in your hands:
  • If it’s spelled Heva: Clementine Vulgate (1592) – the standard printed Vulgate of the Catholic Church for Scripture and Liturgy until the Nova Vulgata (1979)
  • If it’s spelled Hava: Stuttgart Vulgate (1969) – a scholarly critical edition of the Vulgate from the German Bible Society, not used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. This is an academic Vulgate with a critical apparatus – it often includes the Pslater [sic] iuxta Hebraeos.
  • If it’s spelled Eva: Nova Vulgata (1979) – the official Catholic edition of the Vulgate currently used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church (i.e. Missale Romanum 1969 & Liturgia Horarum)

I was already aware of the "name of Eve" way to tell, but I had been checking Gen 2:23, rather than Gen 3:20. Also, as I highlighted above, the Stuttgart edition has more material which comes from the Hebrew, especially the Psalms.

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  • Note that the Stuttgart includes the Galicanum as well as the juxta hebraeos.
    – Figulus
    Commented Feb 6 at 3:34
  • @Figulus What's that?
    – Nacht
    Commented Feb 6 at 4:26
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    The Galicanum is the standard Vulgate psalter used in the Clementine. It was Jerome's earlier version. The juxta hebraeos came later.
    – Figulus
    Commented Feb 8 at 1:43

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