diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/bytecode/internal/bytebuddy/BytecodeProviderImpl.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/bytecode/internal/bytebuddy/BytecodeProviderImpl.java
index 814d8c293b64..bfcbccd77879 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/bytecode/internal/bytebuddy/BytecodeProviderImpl.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/bytecode/internal/bytebuddy/BytecodeProviderImpl.java
@@ -197,17 +197,18 @@ public Size apply(
 				methodVisitor.visitVarInsn( Opcodes.ALOAD, 2 );
 				methodVisitor.visitLdcInsn( index++ );
 				methodVisitor.visitInsn( Opcodes.AALOAD );
-				if ( setter.getParameterTypes()[0].isPrimitive() ) {
+				Class<?> firstParameterType = setter.getParameterTypes()[0];
+				if ( firstParameterType.isPrimitive() ) {
 					PrimitiveUnboxingDelegate.forReferenceType( TypeDescription.Generic.OBJECT )
 							.assignUnboxedTo(
-									new TypeDescription.Generic.OfNonGenericType.ForLoadedType( setter.getParameterTypes()[0] ),
+									new TypeDescription.Generic.OfNonGenericType.ForLoadedType( firstParameterType ),
 									ReferenceTypeAwareAssigner.INSTANCE,
 									Assigner.Typing.DYNAMIC
 							)
 							.apply( methodVisitor, implementationContext );
 				}
 				else {
-					methodVisitor.visitTypeInsn( Opcodes.CHECKCAST, Type.getInternalName( setter.getParameterTypes()[0] ) );
+					methodVisitor.visitTypeInsn( Opcodes.CHECKCAST, Type.getInternalName( firstParameterType ) );
 				}
 				methodVisitor.visitMethodInsn(
 						Opcodes.INVOKEVIRTUAL,
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/util/ReflectHelper.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/util/ReflectHelper.java
index 66e82fd20800..edac0df2dd38 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/util/ReflectHelper.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/util/ReflectHelper.java
@@ -423,16 +423,14 @@ private static Field locateField(Class clazz, String propertyName) {
 			return null;
 		}
 
-		try {
-			Field field = clazz.getDeclaredField( propertyName );
-			if ( !isStaticField( field ) ) {
-				return field;
-			}
+		Field field = findField(propertyName, clazz.getDeclaredFields());
+		if (field == null) {
 			return locateField( clazz.getSuperclass(), propertyName );
 		}
-		catch ( NoSuchFieldException nsfe ) {
-			return locateField( clazz.getSuperclass(), propertyName );
+		if ( !isStaticField( field ) ) {
+			return field;
 		}
+		return locateField( clazz.getSuperclass(), propertyName );
 	}
 
 	public static boolean isStaticField(Field field) {
@@ -490,7 +488,8 @@ private static Method getGetterOrNull(Class[] interfaces, String propertyName) {
 	}
 
 	private static Method getGetterOrNull(Class containerClass, String propertyName) {
-		for ( Method method : containerClass.getDeclaredMethods() ) {
+		Method[] declaredMethods = containerClass.getDeclaredMethods();
+		for ( Method method : declaredMethods) {
 			// if the method has parameters, skip it
 			if ( method.getParameterCount() != 0 ) {
 				continue;
@@ -514,9 +513,8 @@ private static Method getGetterOrNull(Class containerClass, String propertyName)
 			// try "get"
 			if ( methodName.startsWith( "get" ) ) {
 				final String stemName = methodName.substring( 3 );
-				final String decapitalizedStemName = Introspector.decapitalize( stemName );
-				if ( stemName.equals( propertyName ) || decapitalizedStemName.equals( propertyName ) ) {
-					verifyNoIsVariantExists( containerClass, propertyName, method, stemName );
+				if ( stemName.equals( propertyName ) || Introspector.decapitalize( stemName ).equals( propertyName ) ) {
+					verifyNoIsVariantExists( containerClass, propertyName, method, stemName, declaredMethods);
 					return method;
 				}
 
@@ -525,9 +523,8 @@ private static Method getGetterOrNull(Class containerClass, String propertyName)
 			// if not "get", then try "is"
 			if ( methodName.startsWith( "is" ) ) {
 				final String stemName = methodName.substring( 2 );
-				String decapitalizedStemName = Introspector.decapitalize( stemName );
-				if ( stemName.equals( propertyName ) || decapitalizedStemName.equals( propertyName ) ) {
-					verifyNoGetVariantExists( containerClass, propertyName, method, stemName );
+				if ( stemName.equals( propertyName ) || Introspector.decapitalize( stemName ).equals( propertyName ) ) {
+					verifyNoGetVariantExists( containerClass, propertyName, method, stemName, declaredMethods);
 					return method;
 				}
 			}
@@ -536,21 +533,39 @@ private static Method getGetterOrNull(Class containerClass, String propertyName)
 		return null;
 	}
 
+	private static Method findAnyMatch(String name, Method[] methods) {
+		for (Method method : methods) {
+			if (method.getName().equals(name)) {
+				return method;
+			}
+		}
+		return null;
+	}
+
+	private static Field findField(String name, Field[] methods) {
+		for (Field field : methods) {
+			if (field.getName().equals(name)) {
+				return field;
+			}
+		}
+		return null;
+	}
+
 	private static void verifyNoIsVariantExists(
 			Class containerClass,
 			String propertyName,
 			Method getMethod,
-			String stemName) {
-		// verify that the Class does not also define a method with the same stem name with 'is'
-		try {
-			final Method isMethod = containerClass.getDeclaredMethod( "is" + stemName );
-			if ( !Modifier.isStatic( isMethod.getModifiers() ) && isMethod.getAnnotation( Transient.class ) == null ) {
-				// No such method should throw the caught exception.  So if we get here, there was
-				// such a method.
-				checkGetAndIsVariants( containerClass, propertyName, getMethod, isMethod );
-			}
+			String stemName,
+			Method[] declaredMethods) {
+
+		Method isMethod = findAnyMatch( "is" + stemName, declaredMethods);
+		if (isMethod == null) {
+			return;
 		}
-		catch (NoSuchMethodException ignore) {
+
+		// verify that the Class does not also define a method with the same stem name with 'is'
+		if ( !Modifier.isStatic( isMethod.getModifiers() ) && isMethod.getAnnotation( Transient.class ) == null ) {
+			checkGetAndIsVariants( containerClass, propertyName, getMethod, isMethod );
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -580,17 +595,15 @@ private static void verifyNoGetVariantExists(
 			Class containerClass,
 			String propertyName,
 			Method isMethod,
-			String stemName) {
-		// verify that the Class does not also define a method with the same stem name with 'is'
-		try {
-			final Method getMethod = containerClass.getDeclaredMethod( "get" + stemName );
-			// No such method should throw the caught exception.  So if we get here, there was
-			// such a method.
-			if ( !Modifier.isStatic( getMethod.getModifiers() ) && getMethod.getAnnotation( Transient.class ) == null ) {
-				checkGetAndIsVariants( containerClass, propertyName, getMethod, isMethod );
-			}
+			String stemName,
+			Method[] declaredMethods) {
+		Method getMethod = findAnyMatch( "get" + stemName, declaredMethods);
+		if (getMethod == null) {
+			return;
 		}
-		catch (NoSuchMethodException ignore) {
+		// verify that the Class does not also define a method with the same stem name with 'get'
+		if ( !Modifier.isStatic( getMethod.getModifiers() ) && getMethod.getAnnotation( Transient.class ) == null ) {
+			checkGetAndIsVariants( containerClass, propertyName, getMethod, isMethod );
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -663,8 +676,7 @@ private static Method setterOrNull(Class theClass, String propertyName, Class pr
 			final String methodName = method.getName();
 			if ( method.getParameterCount() == 1 && methodName.startsWith( "set" ) ) {
 				final String testOldMethod = methodName.substring( 3 );
-				final String testStdMethod = Introspector.decapitalize( testOldMethod );
-				if ( testStdMethod.equals( propertyName ) || testOldMethod.equals( propertyName ) ) {
+				if (testOldMethod.equals( propertyName ) || Introspector.decapitalize( testOldMethod ).equals( propertyName )) {
 					potentialSetter = method;
 					if ( propertyType == null || method.getParameterTypes()[0].equals( propertyType ) ) {
 						break;
@@ -703,8 +715,7 @@ public static Method findGetterMethodForFieldAccess(Field field, String property
 			// try "get"
 			if ( methodName.startsWith( "get" ) ) {
 				final String stemName = methodName.substring( 3 );
-				final String decapitalizedStemName = Introspector.decapitalize( stemName );
-				if ( stemName.equals( propertyName ) || decapitalizedStemName.equals( propertyName ) ) {
+				if ( stemName.equals( propertyName ) || Introspector.decapitalize( stemName ).equals( propertyName ) ) {
 					return method;
 				}
 
@@ -713,8 +724,7 @@ public static Method findGetterMethodForFieldAccess(Field field, String property
 			// if not "get", then try "is"
 			if ( methodName.startsWith( "is" ) ) {
 				final String stemName = methodName.substring( 2 );
-				String decapitalizedStemName = Introspector.decapitalize( stemName );
-				if ( stemName.equals( propertyName ) || decapitalizedStemName.equals( propertyName ) ) {
+				if ( stemName.equals( propertyName ) || Introspector.decapitalize( stemName ).equals( propertyName ) ) {
 					return method;
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/util/StringHelper.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/util/StringHelper.java
index 1299b5648b90..3a086b6cb627 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/util/StringHelper.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/internal/util/StringHelper.java
@@ -128,7 +128,10 @@ public static String replace(
 			return template;
 		}
 		else {
-			String beforePlaceholder = template.substring( 0, loc );
+			String beforePlaceholder = "";
+			if (loc > 0) {
+				beforePlaceholder = template.substring(0, loc);
+			}
 			String afterPlaceholder = template.substring( loc + placeholder.length() );
 			return replace(
 					beforePlaceholder,