The NLT (2^nd ed.) renders this familiar phrase, “because there was no lodging available for them.” In a similar vein, the TNIV reads, “because there was no guest room available for them.” Why have these modern translations moved away from the traditional term “inn”?

I’ll let Prof. Allison A. Trites explain:

“The accommodation facilities of little Bethlehem were stretched to the limit by the demands imposed by the Roman census (2:1-5). Traditionally, the story has told us ‘there was no room in the inn‘ (KJV, NKJV, NIV, NASB). However, there is anther possibility, for the rare word used here (kataluma[^TG2646, ^ZG2906]) might not mean an ‘inn’ but rather a ‘guest room’ in a house, as in 22:11 (and Mark 14:14), where it is used to describe the room where the Last Supper was held. It is thus possible that the room had been planned for Joseph and Mary but was occupied by others by the time they showed up.” (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol. 12, Luke [Tyndale House Publishers, 2006], 53)
Read the Rest at the NLT Blog