[B-Greek] KATALUMA & PANDOCEION

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Tue Nov 20 11:20:11 EST 2007


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "George F Somsel" <gfsomsel at yahoo.com>
To: "john" <johneill at tiscali.co.uk>; <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 20. november 2007 17:25
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] KATALUMA & PANDOCEION


> The standard lexical reference work for Koine is Bauer, Danker, Arndt & Gingrich _A Greek-English 
> Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature_ (BDAG), Third Edition.  Under 
> the listing for KATALUMA it has
>
>
> κατάλυμα, ατος, τό KATALUMA, ATOS, TO (Polyb. 2, 36, 1; 32, 19, 2; Diod S 14, 93, 5; IG V/1, 869; 
> SIG 609, 1; UPZ 120, 5 [II b.c.] al. in pap; LXX; TestLevi 3:4 v.l.; s. B-D-F §109, 2; Rob. 151) 
> lodging place. The sense inn is possible in Lk 2:7, but in 10:34 Lk uses πανδοχεῖον PANDOXEION, 
> the more specific term for inn. κ. is therefore best understood here as lodging (PSI 341, 8 [256 
> b.c.]; EpArist 181) or guest-room, as in 22:11; Mk 14:14, where the contexts also permit the sense 
> dining-room (cp. 1 Km 1:18; 9:22; Sir 14:25). In further favor of this rendering is the contrast 
> between two quarters: a φάτνη and a κατάλυμα KATALUMA. The latter could be a space in various 
> types of structures. Cp. also the use of the cognate καταλύω KATALUW (s. κ.4) Lk 19:7 in ref. to 
> hospitality.—PBenoit, BRigaux Festschr., ’70, 173–86 (Lk 2:7); EPax, Bibel und Leben 6, ’65, 
> 285–98. DELG s.v. λύω LUW. M-M. TW.
>
> Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and 
> other early Christian literature. by W.F. Arndt, F.W. Gingrich, and F.W. Danker." (3rd ed.) (521). 
> Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
>
> Louw & Nida _Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains_ is also 
> sometimes helpful in noting the relationship between near synonyms though otherwise not so 
> valuable as BDAG.  L & N list both KATALUMA and PANDOXEION under the same domain number (7.11).

Iver: In this case Louw and Nida is not very helpful, since they fail to distinguish between these 
two words. Another useful place to get insight is the notes in the NIV. Sometimes they are very 
good, sometimes not so good. For Luke 2:7, they say:

"The Greek word κατάλυμα is flexible, and usage in the LXX and NT refers to a variety of places for 
lodging (see BDAG 521 s.v.). Most likely Joseph and Mary sought lodging in the public accommodations 
in the city of Bethlehem (see J. Nolland, Luke [WBC], 1:105), which would have been crude shelters 
for people and animals. However, it has been suggested by various scholars that Joseph and Mary were 
staying with relatives in Bethlehem (e.g., C. S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New 
Testament, 194; B. Witherington, “Birth of Jesus,” DJG, 69–70); if that were so the term would refer 
to the guest room in the relatives’ house, which would have been filled beyond capacity with all the 
other relatives who had to journey to Bethlehem for the census."

If we consider Near Eastern culture and hospitality, it is very strange if Joseph would have come to 
a public inn, when his home town was Bethlehem and therefore he must have had relatives to stay 
with. It is questionable whether there was an inn in Bethlehem. So, I opt for the suggestion that 
since the guest room was already occupied they were given a place in the ground floor next to the 
room where animals stayed overnight during the cold times. (I assume that no animals were there at 
the time Jesus was born, since the sheep were out in the open fields, and few common people had cows 
and donkeys, as far as I know.)

Iver Larsen




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