Sometimes we need some textual criticism
We can illustrate the need for text criticism by examining a particular text, Psalm 104:6a . תְּהוֹם כַּלְּבוּשׁ כִּסִּיתוֹ A wooden translation would be, “The deep like the garment you covered it.” This text, though, contains a grammatical problem and a theological problem. The grammatical problem is in the final form כִּסִּיתוֹ ,, which is typically translated, “You co vered it.” There is no masculine singular antecedent for the suffix. The logical antecedent is אֶרֶץ (“the earth”) in verse 5 , but אֶרֶץ is feminine. The LXX has, περιβόλαιον αὐτοῦ (“his garment” ), and the Vulgate follows suit with amictus eius (“his garment”), providing evidence for the masculine, singular suffix, but apparently reading כְּסוּתוֹ (“his garment”) for כִּסִּיתוֹ (“you covered it”). Other witnesses give evidence of a feminine, singular suffix, which the context seems to requ...