Luke 2:7

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, etc.] At Bethlehem, as was predicted; and the Jews themselves own, that the Messiah is already born, and born at Bethlehem. They have a tradition, that an Arabian should say to a Jew f106 “Lo! the king Messiah is born; he said to him, what is his name? Menachem: he asked him, what is his father's name? he replied to him, Hezekiah; he said unto him, from whence is he? he answered, from the palace of the king of Bethlehem.” Which is elsewhere f107 reported, with some little variation; the Arabian said to the Jew, “the Redeemer of the Jews is born; he said unto him, what is his name? he replied, Menachem is his name: and what is his father's name? he…”

“first-born--So Mat 1:25; yet the law, in speaking of the first-born, regardeth not whether any were born after or no, but only that none were born before [LIGHTFOOT]. wrapt him . . . laid him--The mother herself did so. Had she then none to help her? It would seem so (Co2 8:9). a manger--the manger, the bench to which the horses' heads were tied, on which their food could rest [WEBSTER and WILKINSON]. no room in the inn--a square erection, open inside, where travellers put up, and whose rear parts were used as stables. The ancient tradition, that our Lord was born in a grotto or cave, is quite consistent with this, the country being rocky. In Mary's condition the journey would be a slow one,…”

“Her first-born son - Whether Mary had any other children or not has been a matter of controversy. The obvious meaning of the Bible is that she had; and if this be the case, the word “firstborn” is here to be taken in its common signification. Swaddling clothes - When a child among the Hebrews was born, it was washed in water, rubbed in salt, and then wrapped in swaddling clothes; that is, not garments regularly made, as with us, but bands or blankets that confined the limbs closely, Ezekiel 16:4. There was nothing special in the manner in which the infant Jesus was treated. Laid him in a manger - The word rendered “inn” in this verse means simply a place of halting, a lodging-place; in…”

“She laid him in the manger - Perhaps it might rather be translated in the stall. They were lodged in the ox stall, fitted up on occasion of the great concourse, for poor guests. There was no room for them in the inn - Now also, there is seldom room for Christ in an inn. Mat 1:25 Luke 2:11”

“2:7 wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth: This common practice showed motherly love and care (see Ezek 16:4). • A manger was a feeding trough for animals. • no lodging available for them: This is a more accurate translation than the traditional “no room in the inn.” The word translated lodging does not mean an inn (there were no inns in tiny Bethlehem), but either a guest room in a private house or a public shelter for travelers. Since there was no normal lodging, Joseph and Mary moved to an area reserved for animals.”

“she: Isa 7:14; Mat 1:25; Gal 4:4 and wrapped: Luk 2:11, Luk 2:12; Psa 22:6; Isa 53:2, Isa 53:3; Mat 8:20, Mat 13:55; Joh 1:14; Co2 8:9 the inn: Luk 10:34; Gen 42:27, Gen 43:21; Exo 4:24 Luke 2:8”