SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:7
Y dio a luz a su hijo primognito, y le envolvi en paales, y le acost en un pesebre, porque no había lugar para ellos en el mesn.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Luke 2:7
Verse 7. Laid him in a manger] Wetstein has shown, from a multitude of instances, that fatnh means not merely the manger, but the whole stable, and this I think is its proper meaning in this place. The Latins use praesepe, a manger, in the same sense. So Virgil, AEn. vii. p. 275. Stabant ter centum nitidi in praesepibus altis "Three hundred sleek horses stood in lofty stables." Many have thought that this was a full proof of the meanness and poverty of the holy family, that they were obliged to take up their lodging in a stable; but such people overlook the reason given by the inspired penman, because there was no room for them in the inn. As multitudes were going now to be enrolled, all the lodgings in the inn had been occupied before Joseph and Mary arrived. An honest man who had worked diligently at his business, under the peculiar blessing of God, as Joseph undoubtedly had, could not have been so destitute of money as not to be able to procure himself and wife a comfortable lodging for a night; and, had he been so ill fitted for the journey as some unwarrantably imagine, we may take it for granted he would not have brought his wife with him, who was in such a state as not to be exposed to any inconveniences of this kind without imminent danger.
There was no room for them in the inn.] In ancient times, inns were as respectable as they were useful, being fitted up for the reception of travelers alone:-now, they are frequently haunts for the idle and the profligate, the drunkard and the infidel;-in short, for any kind of guests except Jesus and his genuine followers. To this day there is little room for such in most inns; nor indeed have they, in general, any business in such places. As the Hindoos travel in large companies to holy places and to festivals, it often happens that the inns (suraies) are so crowded that there is not room for one half of them: some lie at the door, others in the porch.
These inns, or lodging-houses, are kept by Mohammedans, and Mussulmans obtain prepared food at them; but the Hindoos purchase rice, &c., and cook it, paying about a halfpenny a night for their lodging.
WARD'S Customs.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 7. And she brought forth her firstborn son , etc.] At Bethlehem, as was predicted; and the Jews themselves own, that the Messiah is already born, and born at Bethlehem. They have a tradition, that an Arabian should say to a Jew f106 Lo! the king Messiah is born; he said to him, what is his name?
Menachem: he asked him, what is his father's name? he replied to him, Hezekiah; he said unto him, from whence is he? he answered, from the palace of the king of Bethlehem.
Which is elsewhere reported, with some little variation; the Arabian said to the Jew, the Redeemer of the Jews is born; he said unto him, what is his name? he replied, Menachem is his name: and what is his father's name? he answered, Hezekiah: he said unto him, and where do they dwell? he replied, in Birath Arba, in Bethlehem.
And the Jewish chronologer affirms f108 , that Jesus the Nazarene, was born at Bethlehem Judah, a parsa and a half from Jerusalem.
And even the author of the blasphemous book of the life of Christ owns f109 , that Bethlehem Judah was the place of his nativity.
Jesus is called Mary's firstborn, because she had none before him; though she might not have any after him; for the first that opened the matrix, was called the firstborn, though none followed after, and was holy to the Lord, ( Exodus 13:2). Christ, as to his human nature; was Mary's firstborn; and as to his divine nature, God's firstborn: and wrapped him in swaddling clothes; which shows, that he was in all things made like unto us, sin only excepted. This is one of the first things done to a new born infant, after that it is washed, and its navel cut; (see Ezekiel 16:4) and which Mary did herself, having neither midwife nor nurse with her; from whence it has been concluded, that the birth of Jesus was easy, and that she brought him forth without pain, and not in that sorrow women usually do; and laid him in a manger . The Persic version serves for a comment; she put him into the middle of the manger, in the place in which they gave food to beasts; because in the place whither they came, they had no cradle: this shows the meanness of our Lord's birth, and into what a low estate he came; and that now, as afterwards, though Lord of all, yet had not where to lay his head in a proper place; and expresses his amazing grace, in that he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor: and the reason of his being here laid was, because there was no room for them in the inn. It seems that Joseph had no house of his own to go into, nor any relation and friend to receive him: and it may be, both his own father and Mary's father were dead, and therefore were obliged to put up at an inn; and in this there was no room for them, because of the multitude that were come thither to be enrolled: and this shows their poverty and meanness, and the little account that was made of them; for had they been rich, and made any considerable figure, they would have been regarded, and room made for them; especially since Mary was in the circumstances she was; and it was brutish in them to turn them into a stable, when such was her case.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - The fulness of time was now come, when God would send forth his Son made of a woman, and made under the law. The circumstances of his birt were very mean. Christ was born at an inn; he came into the world to sojourn here for awhile, as at an inn, and to teach us to do likewise We are become by sin like an outcast infant, helpless and forlorn; an such a one was Christ. He well knew how unwilling we are to be meanl lodged, clothed, or fed; how we desire to have our children decorate and indulged; how apt the poor are to envy the rich, and how prone the rich to disdain the poor. But when we by faith view the Son of God being made man and lying in a manger, our vanity, ambition, and env are checked. We cannot, with this object rightly before us, seek grea things for ourselves or our children.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ετεκεν 5088 5627 V-2AAI-3S τον 3588 T-ASM υιον 5207 N-ASM αυτης 846 P-GSF τον 3588 T-ASM πρωτοτοκον 4416 A-ASM και 2532 CONJ εσπαργανωσεν 4683 5656 V-AAI-3S αυτον 846 P-ASM και 2532 CONJ ανεκλινεν 347 5656 V-AAI-3S αυτον 846 P-ASM εν 1722 PREP τη 3588 T-DSF φατνη 5336 N-DSF διοτι 1360 CONJ ουκ 3756 PRT-N ην 2258 5713 V-IXI-3S αυτοις 846 P-DPM τοπος 5117 N-NSM εν 1722 PREP τω 3588 T-DSN καταλυματι 2646 N-DSN
Vincent's NT Word Studies
7. Her first born son. The Greek reads literally, her son, the first born. Wrapped in swaddling clothes (esparganwsen). Only here and verse
Robertson's NT Word Studies
2:7 {Her firstborn} (ton prwtotokon). The expression naturally means that she afterwards had other children and we read of brothers and sisters of Jesus. There is not a particle of evidence for the notion that Mary refused to bear other children because she was the mother of the Messiah. {Wrapped in swaddling clothes} (esparganwsen). From sparganon, a swathing band. Only here and verse #12 in the N.T., but in Euripides, Aristotle, Hippocrates, Plutarch. Frequent in medical works. {In a manger} (en fatnei). In a crib in a stall whether in a cave (Justin martyr) or connected with the inn we do not know. The cattle may have been out on the hills or the donkeys used in travelling may have been feeding in this stall or another near. {In the inn} (en twi katalumati). A lodging-house or khan, poor enough at best, but there was not even room in this public place because of the crowds for the census. See the word also in #Lu 22:11; Mr 14:14 with the sense of guest-room (cf. #1Ki 1:13). It is the Hellenistic equivalent for katagwgeion and appears also in one papyrus. See #Ex 4:24. There would sometimes be an inner court, a range or arches, an open gallery round the four sides. On one side of the square, outside the wall, would be stables for the asses and camels, buffaloes and goats. Each man had to carry his own food and bedding.
