in a stable all forlorn

IN A STABLE ALL FORLORN If there is no mention of a stable, or any animals for that matter, why invent them? ‘Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lays down his sweet head. The stars in the night sky look down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay’. So, what is a MANGER? In first century Palestine, people would often bring their animals into their homes during the cold nights. So a ‘manger’ does not necessarily imply a ‘stable’. The manger could well have been inside the house (we must be careful NOT to impose modern Western culture onto Biblical events which took place almost 2,000 years ago in a context very different to ours). Perhaps, of course, Luke (being the creative artist he is) invented the manger to echo Isaiah 1:3, where God says; ‘The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know me…’ Perhaps Luke was telling his audience that through this baby, they can come to know God.

What no stable? | Religious Studies

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