This ill repute of public inns, together with the Semitic spirit of hospitality, led the Jews and the early Christians to recommend the keeping of an open house for the benefit of strangers" (ibid.).īesides, for commercial reasons inns were usually found along the major roads. ![]() "Generally speaking, inns had a bad reputation. Inns at that time were far from anything like typical motels or hotels we might think of today. 826).Īnother factor that powerfully argues against this term meaning an inn is that these places were not appropriate to giving birth to a child. We know that visitors to the annual feasts in Jerusalem were entertained in the guest rooms of private homes" (1982, Vol. It is thought by some that it may have been a guest chamber provided by the community. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, after pointing out that the word kataluma is used elsewhere in the Gospels for the guest chamber of a private home, comments: "Was the 'inn' at Bethlehem, where Joseph and Mary sought a night's lodging, an upper guest room in a private home or some kind of public place for travelers? The question cannot be answered with certainty. The linguistic evidence shows that Luke used the term kataluma to mean not an inn, but the guest room-indeed, "the" guest room (the definite article is used) of a particular house. What Luke is telling us is that there was not enough room, or enough space, for them in the guest room. Note also the word here translated "place" or "room." In the context of "inn," most assume this is referring to an individual room ("no room in the inn"), yet even inns of that time did not often have individual rooms. It says: "And she brought forth her son-the first-born, and wrapped him up, and laid him down in the manger, because there was not for them a place in the guest-chamber." ![]() In addition, Young's Literal Translation uses the term "guest-chamber" instead of an inn. As Kenneth Bailey, a Middle Eastern and New Testament scholar points out, "This translation is a product of our Western heritage" ("The Manger and the Inn: The Cultural Background of Luke 2:7 Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.Īmerican King James Version ×," Bible and Spade, Fall 2007, p. Interestingly, the Arabic and Syriac versions of the New Testament, which reflect more of a Middle Eastern context, have never translated kataluma as meaning an inn, but instead as a guest room. We read this in Luke 10:34 Luke 10:34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.Īmerican King James Version ×, where the kind Samaritan set the injured man "on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him." ![]() In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus mentions that the injured man in the story was taken to an inn-and here Luke translates using the Greek word pandokheion, the normal word for an inn. Notice Luke 22:11 Luke 22:11 And you shall say to the manager of the house, The Master said to you, Where is the guest room, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?Īmerican King James Version ×, where Jesus said to His disciples, "Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "'Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'" (emphasis added throughout).įurthermore, Luke elsewhere in his Gospel uses a different Greek word when he writes about an actual inn- not the word kataluma. In fact, the same writer Luke uses this very word later where it clearly refers to a guest room and not an inn. It means a place of rest, usually a guest room. The New Testament was originally written in Greek, and the Greek word translated "inn" here is kataluma. Yet a careful analysis of the biblical text reveals quite a different story! Not an inn but a guest room ![]() This image has been used to promote the typical Christmas nativity scene for generations. We've grown up hearing the account that the "inn" in Bethlehem was full, with no "room" available, so Joseph and Mary ended up in a stable, with Jesus Christ born and laid in a manger there. A typical translation of Luke 2:7 Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.Īmerican King James Version ×says about Mary giving birth to Jesus, "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (New King James Version).
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