Jesus’ Birthplace: What the Bible Means by “Inn” 耶穌的誕生之處：聖經所說的「inn」究竟是什麼意思？(Lk 2:7)

 

1️⃣ Luke uses the word “inn,” but not in the modern sense.

路加使用了「inn」這個詞，但不是現代意義的旅店。

In Luke 2:7, the King James Version says there was “no room for them in the inn.”
However, the Greek word behind this translation is katalyma, not pandocheion.

在路加福音 2:7 中，《欽定本》（KJV）使用了 “inn” 這個字，
但其背後的希臘文是 katalyma，而不是 pandocheion。

Katalyma refers to a lodging place or guest space, often within a private home.
When Luke later describes a commercial inn in Luke 10:34, he uses a different word: pandocheion.

katalyma 指的是住宿之處或客房，常見於私人住宅中。
而當路加在路加福音 10:34 描寫真正的營業旅店時，他使用的是另一個字 pandocheion。

This shows that the “inn” in Luke 2 should not automatically be understood as a commercial inn in the modern sense.

這顯示，路加福音 2 章中的「inn」，不應直接等同於現代所理解的營業旅店。

---

2️⃣ “No room” means full, not rejection.

「沒有地方」的意思是客房已滿，而不是被拒絕。

The text gives no indication of rejection, hostility, or discrimination.
It simply states that there was no available space in the lodging area.

經文沒有暗示拒絕、冷漠或歧視，
只是陳述寄宿空間已經沒有空位。

This reflects a realistic situation during the census, when many people returned to their ancestral towns.

這反映的是人口登記期間的現實狀況，
許多人同時返回祖籍城鎮，導致空間有限。

---

3️⃣ The manger points to a house, not a detached stable.

馬槽顯示的是住宅結構，而不是獨立的馬廄。

In first-century village homes, animals were often kept in the lower part of the house at night.
The presence of a manger indicates this lower living space within a household.

在第一世紀的鄉村住宅中，牲畜夜間常被安置在屋內的下層空間。
馬槽正是這類生活結構的標誌。

This was part of ordinary daily life, not a sign of abandonment or humiliation.

這是日常生活的一部分，
不是被遺棄或受辱的象徵。

---

Conclusion / 結論

Jesus was born to faithful parents from an ordinary working-class background—not wealthy, but not destitute.
耶穌出生於一對敬虔的父母之中——瑪利亞與約瑟——他們屬於普通的勞動階層，不富有，但也不是赤貧。

Scripture does not describe the economic or spiritual condition of the household that hosted His birth.
What the Bible does make clear is the faithfulness, obedience, and modest means of His parents, Mary and Joseph.

聖經並未描述接待耶穌誕生的那一戶人家的經濟或屬靈狀況。
經文清楚呈現的，是祂的父母——瑪利亞與約瑟——的敬虔、順服，以及樸實的生活背景。

Jesus was not born into privilege, nor into despair.
He entered the world through faithful parents, within ordinary human circumstances, according to God’s will.

耶穌既不是出生在特權之中，也不是落入悲情之境。
祂是藉著一對敬虔的父母，在普通而真實的人間處境中，照著神的旨意進入世界。

“Because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7, KJV)
「因為在客房裡沒有地方。」（路加福音 2:7）