LUKE 2:7 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) and so Maria bore her first son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and slept him in an empty feeding trough, because they had missed out on the guest room.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT And she delivered her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

UST 6-7 When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay in a place where visitors usually stayed. So they had to stay in a place where animals slept overnight. While they were there the time came for Mary to give birth and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in wide strips of cloth and laid him down where the food was kept for the animals inside the barn.

BLB And she brought forth her firstborn son, and she wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

AICNT And she gave birth to her [firstborn][fn] son, and she wrapped him up and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

2:7, firstborn: Absent from W(032).

OEB and she gave birth to her first child, a son. And because there was no room for them in the inn, she swathed him round and laid him in a manger.

2DT and she birthed her son, the firstborn, and she swaddled him and reclined him in a feeding trough because there was no place in the guest room.

WEBBE She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

LSV and she brought forth her Son—the firstborn, and wrapped Him up, and laid Him down in the manger, because there was not a place for them in the guest-chamber.

FBV She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him up in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because the inn had no rooms left.

TCNT and she gave birth to her firstborn son. Then she wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in [fn]the manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

2:7 the ¦ a CT

T4T 6-7 When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay in the house where travelers stay. So they stayed in a cattle shed. When the time for Mary to give birth arrived, she gave birth to her first son there. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and placed him in a trough where people put food for the animals.

LEB And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

BBE And she had her first son; and folding him in linen, she put him to rest in the place where the cattle had their food, because there was no room for them in the house.

Moff she gave birth to her firstborn son, and as there was no room for them inside the khan she wrapped him up and laid him in a stall for cattle.

Wymth and she gave birth to her first-born son, and wrapped Him round, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

ASV 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.

DRA And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

YLT 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.

Drby and she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him up in swaddling-clothes and laid him in the manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

RV 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.
(And she brought forth her first-born son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. )

SLT And she brought forth her firstborn son, and swathed him, and put him in a manger; for there was no place for them in the inn.

Wbstr And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

KJB-1769 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.
(And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. )

KJB-1611 And she brought foorth her first borne sonne, and wrapped him in swadling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no roome for them in the Inne.
(And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swadling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the Inne.)

Bshps And she brought foorth her first begotten sonne, and wrapped him in swadlyng clothes, & layde hym in a manger, because there was no rowme for them in the Inne.
(And she brought forth her first begotten son, and wrapped him in swadling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the Inne.)

Gnva And she brought foorth her first begotten sonne, and wrapped him in swadling clothes, and laide him in a cratch, because there was no roome for them in the ynne.
(And she brought forth her first begotten son, and wrapped him in swadling clothes, and laid him in a cratch, because there was no room for them in the inn. )

Cvdl And she brought forth hir first begotte sonne, & wrapped him in swadlinge clothes, and layed him in a maunger: for they had els no rowme in the ynne.
(And she brought forth her first begotten son, and wrapped him in swadlinge clothes, and laid him in a maunger: for they had else no room in the inn.)

TNT And she brought forth her fyrst begotten sonne and wrapped him in swadlynge cloothes and layed him in a manger because ther was no roume for them within in the ynne.
(And she brought forth her first begotten son and wrapped him in swadling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them within in the inn. )

Wycl And sche bare hir first borun sone, and wlappide hym in clothis, and leide hym in a cratche, for ther was no place to hym in no chaumbir.
(And she bare her first born son, and wrappede him in clothes, and laid him in a cratche, for there was no place to him in no chaumbir.)

Luth Und sie gebar ihren ersten Sohn und wickelte ihn in Windeln und legte ihn in eine Krippe; denn sie hatten sonst keinen Raum in der Herberge.
(And they/she/them gave_birth your(pl) first son and wickelte him/it in diapers/nappies and laid him/it in a/one Krippe; because/than they/she/them had otherwise none space in the/of_the Herberge.)

ClVg Et peperit filium suum primogenitum, et pannis eum involvit, et reclinavit eum in præsepio: quia non erat eis locus in diversorio.[fn]
(And gave_birth son his_own firstborn, and cloth him involvit, and reclinavit him in/into/on beforesepio: because not/no was to_them place in/into/on diversorio. )

2.7 Pannis eum involvit. Vilibus induitur pannis, ut stolam immortalitatis reciperemus. Manus et pedes stringuntur; ut manus nostræ ad bene operandum, pedes in viam pacis dirigantur; parvulus factus, ut nos perfecti simus.

2.7 Pannis him involvit. Vilibus induitur cloth, as robe/gownm immortalitatis to_receivemus. The_hands and feet stringuntur; as hands our to well to_work, feet in/into/on way/road of_peace dirigantur; little_one became, as us perfect we_are.

UGNT καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι.
(kai eteken ton huion autaʸs ton prōtotokon, kai esparganōsen auton, kai aneklinen auton en fatnaʸ, dioti ouk aʸn autois topos en tōi katalumati.)

SBL-GNT καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ⸀ἐν φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι.
(kai eteken ton huion autaʸs ton prōtotokon, kai esparganōsen auton kai aneklinen auton ⸀en fatnaʸ, dioti ouk aʸn autois topos en tōi katalumati.)

RP-GNT Καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι.
(Kai eteken ton huion autaʸs ton prōtotokon, kai esparganōsen auton, kai aneklinen auton en taʸ fatnaʸ, dioti ouk aʸn autois topos en tōi katalumati.)

TC-GNT Καὶ ἔτεκε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν [fn]τῇ φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι.
(Kai eteke ton huion autaʸs ton prōtotokon, kai esparganōsen auton, kai aneklinen auton en taʸ fatnaʸ, dioti ouk aʸn autois topos en tōi katalumati. )

2:7 τη ¦ — CT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–7: Jesus was born

In this section the things that the angel told Mary about in 1:31–37 happened. In those verses the angel told Mary that she would give birth to a son through the power of the Holy Spirit. This would happen even though she was a virgin. In this section, that prophecy was fulfilled. Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem. This section begins about six months after John the Baptizer was born (1:26).

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:

The Birth of Jesus (GNT)

Mary gave birth to the Savior

2:7a

And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son.

and she gave birth to her first child, a baby boy.
She bore a son. He was her first child.

her firstborn, a Son: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as her firstborn, a Son is literally “her son, the firstborn.” It indicates that this baby was Mary’s first child, and that he was a boy. Another way to translate this is:

She gave birth to her first child, a son. (NLT)

2:7b

She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths

She put long strips of cloth around him
She wrapped his arms and legs with pieces of cloth

She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths: Mary wrapped strips of cloth around the baby Jesus. It was a Jewish custom to wrap newborn babies in that way. This kept them warm, and it also kept their arms and legs straight.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

She wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth (NCV)

She wrapped his arms and legs snugly with pieces of cloth

She put/wrapped strips of cloth around him as was their custom

swaddling cloths: These cloths were long strips of cloth like bandages that were wrapped about the baby many times.

2:7c-d

and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn: According to many people’s understanding or traditions, Mary and Joseph arrived at Bethlehem just at the time when Mary was ready to give birth. They approached an inn or hotel in Bethlehem, but were told that it was full. Instead they were guided to a stable with animals, where Mary gave birth.

But according to Luke 2:6, they had already been in Bethlehem for a time when the moment came to give birth. And it is likely that they stayed in a house. Joseph probably had relatives in Bethlehem, and they would have invited him to stay with them. The home where they stayed had a room for guests, but it was already occupied. So they stayed in another room that was close to where animals were kept inside the house at night. This meant that a manger would have been nearby, and it became a good place to lay the newborn baby. This understanding of the story is followed in the notes below.

because there was no room for them in the inn: This clause explains the reason why Mary laid the baby in a manger, which was not a usual placeWhile laying the baby in a manger was probably unexpected, it was not a bad choice of place to lay a newborn baby. With hay in it, it would have been soft. And because it was deep, the baby would not fall out of it. If it was a wooden manger, it could have been moved from the animal area onto the floor of the room where Mary and Joseph were staying. Or it may have been a manger carved or dug out into the family room floor and already near them. (See Kenneth Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, IVP (2008), pp. 28–30.) to lay a baby. It was because there was not enough space for the couple to stay, or to have the baby, in the guest room of the house. Instead they stayed near where the family kept their animals, and so they laid the baby in a nearby manger. See the translation suggestions at the end of the note on “because there was no room for them” at 2:7d for ways to make some of this information explicit.

In some languages, it may be more natural to put the reason clause before the result clause. For example:

Because there was no space for them in the guest room, she placed him in a manger.

There was no place for them in the room for travelers, so she laid him in a manger.

2:7c

and laid Him in a manger,

and laid him in a box from which animals eat their food.
and set him in a feeding trough at the house where they were staying.
and laid him on some hay in a feeding trough because that was the best place she could find.

in a manger: A manger was a box or trough that held food for animals, especially for large animals such as cattle and horses. People made this feeding box out of wood or stone. Other ways to translate this are:

in a feeding trough

in a feeding box for animals

in a trough where people put food for the animals (T4T)

on a bed of hay (CEV)

Jewish peasant families commonly kept their animals in their houses at night.Two of the most common styles of village houses at the time of Jesus were (a) a simple one-room house, possibly also having a guest room, and (b) a three- or four-room house with the rooms surrounding a central courtyard. In either type of house, the animals were kept inside at night. The one-room house, for example, was divided into a first part, nearest the door, that would have a dirt floor and where animals would spend the night. From there, the family living space was built up about a meter higher than the dirt floor. This is where the family cooked, ate, slept, and lived. Mangers or feeding troughs for the animals were either placed on the lower dirt floor or were sometimes dug out of the edge of the floor of the family area next to where the animals were kept. (See Kenneth Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, IVP (2008), pp. 28–30.) So the manger was probably inside a house where Mary and Joseph were invited to stay, and not in a stable away from a house. You may want to make this information explicit in your translation. For example:

in a feeding trough in a home

in an animal’s feeding box at the house where they were staying

2:7d

because there was no room for them in the inn.

She did this because there was not enough space for them to stay in the guest room.
She put him there because the guest room was full. (ERV)
This was because other travelers were already staying in the room for visitors/guests. Mary and Joseph stayed in the room near the animals and the feeding trough was nearby.

because there was no room for them in the inn: The Greek word that the BSB translates as inn is a general word that refers to any place for travelers to stay or lodge. (This is a different Greek word than the word translated as “inn” in Luke 10:34.) The word can refer to an inn, a guesthouse, or a guest room in a house.Another option discussed in commentaries is whether this might have been a khan (also called a caravansarai). These were walled-in shelters with an open courtyard in the center for the animals or possibly some animal stalls with feed. Some khans had a manager or keeper, and also private rooms for the wealthy. Others were mostly self-service and simple. The same reasons (discussed in the next footnote) that argue against this being a commercial inn also apply to a khan. In this context, it probably refers to a room in a village home where guests could stay.There are several reasons in favor of understanding this as the guest room of a home rather than as a commercial inn or khan. First, Bethlehem was a small town or village and was not on a main road. So it is quite unlikely that Bethlehem would have had a commercial inn or khan. Secondly, hospitality was of such high value in Israel that Jewish travelers would seek a place to stay in a Jewish home and only rarely in a commercial inn, a place mainly used by foreigners. Third, since Jewish peasant families usually kept their animals in their house at night, mention of the manger should cause us to think first of a house. And finally there is the linguistic argument. Luke uses the Greek word kataluma here. While the possible meanings of the word include a commercial inn or khan, the only other time Luke uses the word kataluma, it refers to the guest room of a house (the “upper room” in Luke 22:11). And in the parable of the Good Samaritan, where the reference is clearly to a commercial inn with an innkeeper, Luke uses a different Greek word (pandocheion, Luke 10:34). It does not refer to a building such as a hotel with many rooms.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

guest room (NIV11)

in the room of the house for travelers/visitors

because there was no room for them in the inn: In this context, the words no room mean that there was not enough space for them either to stay or to have the baby in the guest room. That room was already occupied, possibly by other relatives or travelers who had arrived for the census before Joseph and Mary or who had higher status. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

because there was no place for them in the guestroom (CEB)

because there was not enough space for them in the room/place for travelers

because the guest room was full (ERV)

because other people were already staying in the guest room of the house where they stayed

This clause because there was no room for them explains the reason why Mary laid Jesus in a manger, a place where people do not usually lay a baby. Mary and Joseph were probably invited to stay in a home, possibly with relatives. But since the guest room of that home was already full, they stayed in another part of the house. They may have shared the room where the host family stayed. Wherever they stayed, it was near the part of the house where the family kept their animals inside at night. So the most suitable place Mary could find to lay the baby was in a nearby manager.

You may want to make some of this information explicit in your translation. For example:

Since the guest room was already full, the most suitable place that Mary could find to lay the baby was the manager.

She laid him there because there was no better place for him where they were staying. That was because other people were staying in the guest room.

Since other people were staying in the guest room, Mary and Joseph stayed near where their hosts kept their animals in the house. So she laid the baby in a nearby manger.

That was the best place to lay the baby. This was because there was no space for them in the guest room of the house. Instead/so they stayed in the house near the animals and the manger was there.

General Comment on 2:6a–7d

In some languages, it may be more natural to put 2:7d before 2:6a. For example:

^7dThere was not enough room/space for them in the guest room of the house where they stayed, so they stayed in the part of the house near where the animals sleep. ^6a-7cWhile they were there…

2:6a–7d

(reordered) In Bethlehem, there was not enough room/space for them in the guest room of the house where they stayed, so they stayed in the part of the house near where the animals sleep. While they^(dual) were there, Mary’s time for giving birth arrived, and she gave birth to her first child, a boy. She wrapped strips of cloth around him, and laid him in a feeding trough that was nearby.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι

swaddled (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔτεκεν τόν υἱόν αὐτῆς τόν πρωτότοκον καί ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτόν καί ἀνέκλινεν αὐτόν ἐν φάτνῃ διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι)

If it would be helpful to your readers, you could put the second phrase before the first one, since it gives the reason for the action that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: [because there was no guest room available for them, she wrapped cloths tightly around him and put him in a box that held hay for animals]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν

In some cultures, mothers help their babies feel secure by wrapping them tightly in cloth or in a blanket. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly Alternate translation: [wrapped cloths tightly around him to make him feel secure]

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν φάτνῃ

laid (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἔτεκεν τόν υἱόν αὐτῆς τόν πρωτότοκον καί ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτόν καί ἀνέκλινεν αὐτόν ἐν φάτνῃ διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι)

A manger was a box or frame in which people put hay or other food for animals to eat. It was most likely clean, and it may have had something soft and dry like hay in it that would have provided a cushion for the baby. In this culture, animals were often kept near a home to keep them safe and so that their owners could feed them easily. Mary and Joseph stayed in a space that was ordinarily used for animals for those reasons. Alternate translation: [put him in a box that held hay for animals]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι

because not was ˱for˲_them ˓a˒_place in the guest_room

There was probably no room because so many people had come to Bethlehem to register. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [there was no other place available for them to stay, because so many people had come there to register]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown