INN (Heb. מָלﯴן, H4869, RSV LODGING PLACE; Gr. κατάλυμα, G2906, or πανδοχεῖον, G4106). Word referring to several different kinds of shelter or dwelling.

As used in the OT the word often indicates the camping place of an individual (Jer 9:2); of a family on a journey (Exod 4:24); of a caravan (Gen 42:27; 43:21); of an army (2 Kings 19:23); or even a nation (Josh 4:3, 8). In none of these references is there any implication of a structure, with the possible exception of the one in Jeremiah. Therefore, the use of “inn” in KJV is in most instances in the OT misleading. When travelers could not find lodging in private dwellings they stayed in the open, as indicated by such references as Genesis 19:2; 28:11; Judges 19:15.

In the Targum of Joshua 2:1 (cf. Josephus, Antiq. v. 1. 2) Rahab is called an innkeeper. Perhaps she combined this occupation with her profession as harlot, a thing which happened occasionally in Rom. times. It is interesting to note the word used in the passage referred to as well as the Rabbinic words for “inn” are of foreign origin, coming from the Gr. πανδοχεῖον, G4106, and the Lat. hospitium. This may indicate that the organized inn was perhaps an importation into the Near E. It is common knowledge that inns existed in Gr. times and throughout the period of the Rom. empire. Generally they were considered bad, the traveler being subject not only to discomfort, but also robbery and even death. For this reason, wealthy people who traveled maintained their own deversoria (lodging houses) along the route, or stayed with friends on a reciprocal basis. Inns sometimes were managed independently, sometimes by the slaves or freedmen of the owner of a nearby villa.

According to the NT, the term κατάλυμα, G2906, signifies a “place to loose one’s burdens.” When Mary and Joseph discovered that “there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7), one should not think of anything resembling a hotel. More likely they found themselves in some sort of village guest house. Indeed, the same word is used to describe the upper room where Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples (Mark 14:14; Luke 22:11). In the story of the good Samaritan, the term used is πανδοχεῖον, G4106, (“all-receiving,” Luke 10:34). An innkeeper is mentioned who is paid to provide food and lodging for the man who was left in his care. Something more like an inn, the modern sense is in view in this passage. If one may judge from the Khan Hathrur, located today midway between Jerusalem and Jericho, the inn of Jesus’ day perhaps consisted of a large building, with an arched doorway opening into a spacious courtyard with a well in the center.

Bibliography Oxford Classical Dictionary; IDB.