Albert Barnes Commentary Luke 2:7

"And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." — Luke 2:7 (ASV)

Her first-born son. Whether Mary had any other children has been a matter of controversy. The obvious meaning of the Bible is that she did; and if this is the case, the word first-born is here to be taken in its common meaning.

Swaddling clothes. When a child among the Hebrews was born, it was washed in water, rubbed with salt, and then wrapped in swaddling clothes; that is, not garments regularly made, as with us, but bands or blankets that confined the limbs closely (Ezekiel 16:4). There was nothing peculiar in the manner in which the infant Jesus was treated.

Laid him in a manger. The word translated as "inn" in this verse means simply a place of halting, a lodging-place; in modern terms, a khan or caravanserai (Robinson's Biblical Researches in Palestine, vol. iii, p. 431). The word translated as "manger" means simply a crib or place where cattle were fed. "Inns," in our sense of the term, were unknown in ancient times in the East, and now they are not common.

Hospitality was generally practiced, so that a traveler had little difficulty in obtaining shelter and food when necessary. As traveling became more frequent, however, khans or caravanserais were erected for public use—large structures where the traveler might freely go and find lodging for himself and his animal, he himself providing food and forage.

Many such khans were placed at regular intervals in Persia. It was to such a place, though already crowded, that Joseph and Mary resorted at Bethlehem. Instead of finding a place in the "inn," or the part of the caravanserai where the travelers themselves found a place of rest, they were obliged to be contented in one of the stalls or recesses designated for the animals on which they rode.

The following description of an Eastern inn or caravanserai, by Dr. Kitto, will well illustrate this passage:

"It presents an external appearance which suggests to a European traveler the idea of a fortress, being an extensive square pile of strong and lofty walls, mostly of brick upon a basement of stone, with a grand archway entrance. This leads... to a large open area, with a well in the middle, and surrounded on three or four sides by a kind of piazza raised upon a platform 3 or 4 feet high, in the wall behind which are small doors leading to the cells or oblong chambers which form the lodgings. The cell, with the space on the platform in front of it, forms the domain of each individual traveler, where he is completely secluded, as the apparent piazza is not open, but is composed of the front arches of each compartment. There is, however, in the center of one or more of the sides a large arched hall quite open in front... The cells are completely unfurnished, and generally have no light but from the door, and the traveler is usually seen in the recess in front of his apartment except during the heat of the day....

"Many of these caravanserais have no stables, the cattle of the travelers being accommodated in the open area; but in the more complete establishments... there are... spacious stables, formed of covered avenues extending between the back wall of the lodging apartments and the outer wall of the whole building, the entrance being at one or more of the corners of the inner quadrangle. The stable is on the same level with the court, and thus below the level of the living quarters which stand on the raised platform. Nevertheless, this platform is allowed to project behind into the stable, so as to form a bench.... It also often happens that not only this bench exists in the stable, forming a more or less narrow platform along its extent, but also recesses corresponding to these in front of the cells toward the open area, and formed, in fact, by the side-walls of these cells being allowed to project behind to the boundary of the platform. These, though small and shallow, form convenient retreats for servants and mule drivers in bad weather.

"... Such a recess we suppose that Joseph and Mary occupied, with their ass or mule—if they had one, as they perhaps did—tethered in front.... It might be made quite private by a cloth being stretched across the lower part."

It may be remarked that the fact that Joseph and Mary were in that place, and obliged to take their lodgings there, was in itself no proof of poverty; it was a simple matter of necessity—there was no room at the inn.

Yet it is worthy of our consideration that Jesus was born poor. He did not inherit a princely estate. He was not cradled, as many are, in a palace. He had no rich friends. He had virtuous, pious parents, of more value to a child than many riches.

And in this we are shown that it is no dishonor to be poor. Happy is that child who, whether his parents are rich or poor, has a pious father and mother. It does not matter if he does not have as much wealth, as fine clothes, or as splendid a house as another. It is enough for him to be as Jesus was, and God will bless him.

No room at the inn. Many people assembled to be enrolled, and the tavern was filled before Joseph and Mary arrived.