An inn is a place where travelers can stay overnight while on a journey. Inns have changed over time, from simple shelters to places more like today's hotels.
Inns in the Old Testament
The word “inn” occurs three times in older Bible translations (like the King James Version) in the Old Testament. Two of the occurrences are when Joseph’s brothers rest overnight during their trips between Egypt and Canaan (Genesis 42:27; 43:21). The third occurrence is when Moses returns to Egypt from Midian to lead the children of Israel (Exodus 4:24).
The Berean Standard Version translates each of these instances as “lodging place.” In the time of Abraham and Moses, the Near East did not have inns as we know them today. Our idea of an inn is a public place where travelers can pay to stay.
In settled areas, a traveler could usually expect local people to offer them a place to stay. Across the Near East, offering a place to stay was seen as an important duty (see Genesis 19:1–3; Judges 19:15–21). In empty areas, travelers would make their own shelter (Genesis 28:11). They would also bring their own food (Joshua 9:11–13).
We do not know exactly when real inns started in Palestine. Some think they came from other countries, as the Jewish words for "inn" come from Greek and Latin. Old texts such as the Targum and Josephus (Antiquities 5.1.12) call Rahab an innkeeper (Joshua 2:1). But, there may have not been inns in Joshua's time. However, there are parallels in the Near East of women keeping an establishment providing both rooms and sexual activity for travelers.
Inns in the New Testament
We know Greek inns existed as early as the 5th century BC. They became common in the areas influenced by Greek culture. These inns were usually uncomfortable and unsafe.
This kind of “inn” with an “innkeeper” is where the Good Samaritan took the man who was robbed (Luke 10:34–35). This inn was probably much like a khan (a small inn inside of towns) or caravansary (a larger inn on the edge of a town, especially along trade routes). These would have been common along the trade routes in Syria for a long time.
These inns were square buildings with an open area in the middle where water and shelter were available, but travelers usually brought their own food and sometimes their own bedding. The Good Samaritan clearly expected the host to take care of the hurt man. It is difficult to tell if this was normal or just because it was an emergency.
The inn in Jesus’s story about the Good Samaritan has long been identified with the Khan Hathrur. It is located halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho. Though the present structure is probably only one of many built in the same place.
Two other well-known parts of the New Testament talk about different kinds of places to stay. First, Christians from Rome met Paul, who was a prisoner, at Three Taverns, a stopping place 53 kilometers (33 miles) from Rome where the two roads met (Acts 28:15). Second, there is the “inn” that had no room for Joseph and Mary (Luke 2:7). This word is also translated as “guestchamber” (King James Version) and “guest room” (Mark 14:14; Luke 22:11, Berean Standard Bible).
The Jews in Jerusalem were proud that they had enough guest rooms for all the visitors who came for Passover. This is also true for the crowd at Pentecost ( Acts 2:6–11). It seems Joseph and Mary expected to find a place like this in Bethlehem for the census, but all the rooms were taken.