Description and usage
The inn was a place for the lodging of travelers. Meals were also served. Unlike some modern bars and hotels, it did not have particular associations with alcohol or prostitution.
Translation
In some languages it may be necessary to describe the role of an inn as “a place where people could stay overnight and get something to eat” or even “a place where people could pay in order to stay overnight and get something to eat.” Compare NCV ’s rendering of inn in JER 9:1, where it has “a house where travelers spend the night.” It is highly likely this is the only place in the Old Testament where the Hebrew word malon refers to an actual inn or permanent structure for the lodging of travelers.