It's a God Thing
Inns, such as we have them today, did not exist in New Testament times. People usually stayed with people they knew, or family members. Bethlehem was crowded also probably because it was time for the feast of Tabernacles.
Most probably, the manger was a ledge to store food. It was in a place where the packs that animals carried were removed, and the animals given a place to rest and eat. A lot of times this place was a room in or next to a house or home. Sometimes it was a cave. The manger was a ledge in the cave where the food was placed. There were no barns as we know them today in that area.
The point of the Bible account of the birth of the Messiah is that He arrived in humble circumstances, including the fact that God became flesh and was dwelling among us. The good news was (and is) God with us. His birth was important, but not nearly as important as His death and resurrection.
In my Tabernacles article, I mention that the manger where Jesus is supposed to have been placed was more probably a sukkot or temporary shelter. Apparently, this strikes a nerve in some people. I’ve gotten emails asking for my backup, so here it is.
An inn is mentioned in Luke 2:7. But they did not exist then as we know them today. According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary kataluma (Strong’s 2646 translated ‘inn’) just means a place for “loosing the beasts of their burdens.” Manger could be the stall or crib, or possibly a ledge.
Inn — in the modern sense, unknown in the East.
The khans or caravanserais, which correspond to the European inn, are
not alluded to in the Old Testament. The “inn” mentioned in Ex. 4:24 was
just the halting-place of the caravan. In later times khans were erected
for the accommodation of travellers. In Luke 2:7 the word there so
rendered denotes a place for loosing the beasts of their burdens. It is
rendered “guest-chamber” in Mark 14:14 and Luke 22:11. In Luke 10:34 the
word so rendered is different. That inn had an “inn-keeper,” who
attended to the wants of travellers.
Manger — (Luke 2:7, 12, 16),
the name (Gr. phatne, rendered “stall” in Luke 13:15) given to the place
where the infant Redeemer was laid. It seems to have been a stall or
crib for feeding cattle. Stables and mangers in our modern sense were in
ancient times unknown in the East. The word here properly denotes “the
ledge or projection in the end of the room used as a stall on which the
hay or other food of the animals of travellers was placed.” (See INN.)
Easton, M. (1897; Published in electronic form by Logos Research
Systems, 1996). Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Illustrations not included
in electronic edition. (electronic edition of the 3rd edition.).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Jerome’s Bible Commentary mentions that people would build a “lean to” on the outside of a cave then keep their animals in the cave portion.
manger: A feeding trough for animals. Jesus was
born in one of the caves in the hills around Bethlehem. These caves were
used at times as homes for families by adding a lean-to at the entrance
of the cave; the family’s livestock was housed inside the cave.
in
the inn: The word katalyma means a room for a guest or for eating (Lk
22:11). Because the outer room attached to the cave was already fully
occupied or at least did not afford privacy, Joseph brought Mary inside
the cave where the livestock ordinarily rested.
Brown, R. E.,
Fitzmyer, J. A., & Murphy, R. E. (1968). The Jerome Biblical commentary
(Lk 2:7). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
The association of ‘phatne’ (manger) with ‘kataluma’ (inn) is why the Greek word phatne (Strong’s 5336) is translated ‘manger,’ even though it can also mean ‘stall’ or ‘crib.’ It doesn’t specifically mean a feed trough. Feed trough is inferred by the fact that Mary laid the baby somewhere in the place where the burdens of beasts were unloosed. It might have been something that looked like a basinet or crib as we have in current Nativity scenes. More probably it was a ledge that held food for animals at other times.
So there is quite a bit of uncertainty around the words for “inn” and “manger.” We don’t know exactly what is meant. Joseph was in town for a census, and there was crowding because many others had to be there too. It is possible he had relatives with a guest chamber (he was of the lineage of David and presumably there were others of that lineage living in the city of David), but perhaps they had to sleep in the room normally occupied by animals. Animals were probably not present, or if they were it wasn’t that unusual to have to sleep in the same room. The room could’ve been a cave, with the house in front, or it could’ve been a temporary shelter (a sukkah or booth) in a place where animals were stripped of their loads. The manger might’ve been the shelf where the feed was normally kept. It was, however, unusual enough to be an identifier, because the shepherds were told to look for a baby in a manger.
I think there are two factors that drive the current narrative showing Jesus in a wooden feeding trough in a barn with animals all around and three wise guys, I mean, wise men standing around. One is the desire to get away from anything Jewish in the birth of the Christ. So if a temporary place where the burdens of beasts are loosed was a booth like the ones used in Tabernacles, there are those who do not want to acknowledge it. The second factor driving the current narrative is that the church wants control of the Bible message, especially the message about Jesus. Through tradition, and myths, they build control by emotional appeals rather than biblical accuracy.
Below are some additional comments from other sources concerning the ambiguity of the two words under consideration.
Shalom
Bruce Scott Bertram
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