The Plainer Truth about . . .
Does the Bible say Jesus was BORN in a manger?

The following questions are based on the King James Version Bible translation:

1. How many "wise men" came to see the Christ child?

2. Where did the wise men find Jesus? (What were the surroundings? A barn, a house, a field or . . .?)

3. Approximately how old was Jesus when the wise men saw him?

4. Was Jesus born in a manager?

Answers:

1. The number of wise men is not specified (Matthew 2:1). Studies show that they were probably part of the government of an eastern empire (possibly Scythian - Colossians 3:11). The greek word used for the wise men is magi. They were probably wise judges of that government. It's interesting to note that modern day judges are called MAGI-strates. The Bible says that Herod and all Jerusalem were troubled at their arrival (Matthew 2:3). They were important figures, not just three men on camels as tradition states.

2. They found him in a house - See Matthew 2:11

3. While it does not say how old Jesus was, it no longer refers to him as a babe but as a young child. The wise men had journeyed from the east after they saw the star. It took weeks, months or maybe even a year or more to travel to see Jesus. Herod "inquired diligently" of the wise men as to what time they saw the star. Why? So that he could determine how old of a child he needed to have killed in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:7,16). Herod killed all the children in Bethlehem up to two years old.

4. The Bible nowhere says Jesus was born in a manger. The shepherds were in the fields surrounding Bethlehem. The sign to them was to find Jesus lying in a manger (probably a feeding trough washed up as a makeshift "baby crib" and lined with blankets. The word translated manger is from the Greek word φάτνη , phatnay, which means 'to eat' or 'a crib.'). Most inns (the Greek word means a rented upper room like the one Jesus used to have his last Passover with the disciples) were furnished with a baby crib. The upper rooms were all filled with travelers when Mary gave birth because people had traveled there to pay a Roman tax (Luke 2:7,12). Mary probably delivered in a room with only a bed and/or table and chairs. So it is very likely someone helped and got a feeding trough, washed it up and lined it with blankets.