Amplified Bible
Proverbs 20:16
16[The judge tells the creditor], “Take the clothes of one who is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge [when he guarantees a loan] for foreigners.”
Proverbs 20:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
- New International Version (NIV)Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Take a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger, And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.
Context of Proverbs 20:16
14“It is [almost] worthless, it is [almost] worthless,” says the buyer [as he negotiates the price]; But when he goes his way, then he boasts [about his bargain]. 15There is gold, and an abundance of pearls, But the lips of knowledge are a vessel of preciousness [the most precious of all]. [The judge tells the creditor], “Take the clothes of one who is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge [when he guarantees a loan] for foreigners.” 17Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel [just as sin may be sweet at first, but later its consequences bring despair]. 18Plans are established by counsel; So make war [only] with wise guidance.
Read all of Proverbs 20Proverbs 20:16 word by word
לְֽקַח־בִּ֭גְדוֹ כִּי־עָ֣רַב זָ֑ר וּבְעַ֖ד נָכְרִיָּ֣ה חַבְלֵֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 20:16
- Proverbs 11:15He who puts up security and guarantees a debt for an outsider will surely suffer [for his foolishness], But he who hates (declines) being a guarantor is secure [from its penalties].
- Proverbs 22:26Do not be among those who give pledges [involving themselves in others’ finances], Or among those who become guarantors for others’ debts.
- Proverbs 27:13[The judge tells the creditor,] “Take the garment of one who is surety (guarantees a loan) for a stranger; And hold him in pledge when he is surety for an immoral woman [for it is unlikely the debt will be repaid].”
- Exodus 22:26If you ever take your [poor] neighbor’s robe in pledge, you must return it to him before sunset,
- Proverbs 2:16To keep you from the immoral woman; From the seductress with her flattering words,
- Proverbs 5:3For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb] And her speech is smoother than oil;
- Proverbs 7:5That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the foreigner [who does not observe God’s laws and] who flatters with her [smooth] words.
- Proverbs 23:27For a prostitute is a deep pit, And an immoral woman is a narrow well.
Commentaries on Proverbs 20:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Take his garment that is surety for a stranger - I suppose the meaning to be, If a stranger or unknown person become surety in a case, greater caution should be used, and such security taken from this stranger as would prevent him from running away from his engagements.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16The warning against suretiship and lust are here repeated and combined (compare Proverbs 27:13). The judge tells the creditor to seize the goods of the surety who has been weak enough to pledge himself for those who are alien to him, instead of those of the actual debtor. The reading of the the King James Version recalls in the second clause the history of Tamar Genesis 38:17-18. The Hebrew text, however, gives “strangers” in the masculine plural, and is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16Verse 16 Those ruin themselves who entangle themselves in rash suretiship. Also those who are in league with abandoned women. Place no confidence in either.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16A wise lender asks for security or a deposit on a loan. A stranger was an Israelite unknown to the lender, who then required security. Proverbs advises the wise to avoid borrowing entirely (see Proverbs 6:1–2). This proverb's message is also found in Proverbs 6:1–5; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. Take his garment--implies severe exaction, justified by the surety's rashness. a strange woman--by some readings "strangers," but the former here, and in Pr 27:13, is allowable, and strengthens the sense. The debauchee is less reliable than the merely careless.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 20:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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