The inn

— a place or building specifically designated for the rest and repose of travelers. In the book of Genesis (42:27) the word “malon,” or inn, is derived from a verb meaning “to spend the night,” and thus denotes a place where travelers stopped for the night. The same word is translated by the word “lodging place” in the book of the prophet Isaiah (10:29). Inns undoubtedly were established for travelers, as is evident from the book of the prophet Jeremiah (9:2), where we read of a “lodging place” (malon) of travelers “in the wilderness.” The same word occurs in Joshua (4:3–8) and in 2 Kings (19:23).

The house of Rahab in Jericho, in which the spies sent by Joshua lodged for the night, if it was not an inn, was nevertheless a house where passing travelers could stop or lodge.