[2] Matthäus Aurogallus began his education at a humanist school in Komotau founded by Czech nobleman and writer Bohuslav Hasištejnský z Lobkovic in his family home, Hasištejn Castle.

[3] Melanchthon had recently accepted a position as professor of Greek at the University of Wittenberg on the recommendation of his great-uncle, Johannes Reuchlin.

[6] At the time, Wittenburg – under Luther's leadership – was the epicentre of the Protestant Reformation, and Aurogallus was drawn into the movement at least peripherally as a scholar of Hebrew.

[5] He was also able to borrow rare manuscripts from Lobkovic’s extensive library, which he lent to Luther and Melanchthon, further aiding in the translation process.

He also based his discussion of the etymology of biblical names in his De Hebraeis, urbium, regionum, populorum, fluminum, montium, & aliorulocorum, nominibus (Names of Hebrew, cities, regions, peoples, rivers, mountains and other places) on Rashi and Targumim, as well as classical and medieval authors, demonstrating a much deeper interest in Hebrew scholarship for its own sake than Luther.