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Read the Bible

King James Version

Proverbs 20:16

Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Lasciviousness;   Prudence;   Surety (Guarantee);   Thompson Chain Reference - Business Life;   Credit System;   Suretyship;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pledge;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Loan;   Surety;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Pledge;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Loan;   Suretyship;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Pledge;   Surety;   Wisdom;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Take his garment,for he has put up security for a stranger;get collateral if it is for foreigners.
Hebrew Names Version
Take the garment of one who puts up collateral for a stranger; And hold him in pledge for a wayward woman.
English Standard Version
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 American Standard Bible
Take his garment when he becomes guarantor for a stranger; And for foreigners, seize a pledge from him.
New Century Version
Take the coat of someone who promises to pay a stranger's debts, and keep it until he pays what the stranger owes.
Amplified Bible
[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."
World English Bible
Take the garment of one who puts up collateral for a stranger; And hold him in pledge for a wayward woman.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Take his garment, that is suretie for a stranger, and a pledge of him for the stranger.
Legacy Standard Bible
Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger;And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.
Berean Standard Bible
Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a wayward woman.
Contemporary English Version
You deserve to lose your coat if you loan it to someone to guarantee payment for the debt of a stranger.
Complete Jewish Bible
Seize his clothes, because he guaranteed a stranger's loan; take them as security for that unknown woman.
Darby Translation
Take his garment that is become surety [for] another, and hold him in pledge for strangers.
Easy-to-Read Version
If someone promises to pay the debt of a stranger, get a coat or something from him to keep until the debt is paid.
George Lamsa Translation
Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger; and take his pledge for the sake of a stranger.
Good News Translation
Anyone stupid enough to promise to be responsible for a stranger's debts ought to have their own property held to guarantee payment.
Lexham English Bible
Take his garment, for he has given security to a stranger, and on behalf of a foreigner—take it as pledge.
Literal Translation
Take the garment of the one who is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge from one who guarantees for strangers.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Take his garment that is suertie for a straunger, & take a pledge of him for ye vnknowne mans sake.
American Standard Version
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge that is surety for foreigners.
Bible in Basic English
Take a man's clothing if he makes himself responsible for a strange man, and get an undertaking from him who gives his word for strange men.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; and hold him in pledge that is surety for an alien woman.
King James Version (1611)
Take his garment that is suerty for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take his garment that is suretie for a straunger: and take a pledge of hym for the vnknowen sake.
English Revised Version
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; and hold him in pledge that is surety for strangers.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Take thou awei the cloth of hym, that was borewe of an othere man; and for straungeris take thou awei a wed fro hym.
Update Bible Version
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge [that is surety] for foreigners.
Webster's Bible Translation
Take his garment that is surety [for] a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
New English Translation
Take a man's garment when he has given security for a stranger, and when he gives surety for strangers, hold him in pledge.
New King James Version
Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger, And hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress.
New Living Translation
Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger's debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.
New Life Bible
Take a man's coat when he has given himself as trust for what a stranger owes. And hold him to his promise when he gives himself as trust for what the people from other lands owe.
New Revised Standard
Take the garment of one who has given surety for a stranger; seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Take his garment who is pledge for a stranger, - then, for a woman unknown, accept him as surety.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Take away the garment of him that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge from him for strangers.
Revised Standard Version
Take a man's garment when he has given surety for a stranger, and hold him in pledge when he gives surety for foreigners.
Young's Literal Translation
Take his garment when a stranger hath been surety, And for strangers pledge it.
THE MESSAGE
Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger; beware of accepting what a transient has pawned.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; And for foreigners, hold him in pledge.

Contextual Overview

16 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Take his: Proverbs 11:15, Proverbs 22:26, Proverbs 22:27, Proverbs 27:13, Exodus 22:26, Exodus 22:27

a strange: Proverbs 2:16, Proverbs 5:3, Proverbs 7:5, Proverbs 7:10, Proverbs 23:27

Reciprocal: Genesis 38:17 - Wilt thou Job 17:3 - put me Proverbs 6:1 - if thou be Proverbs 17:18 - void Hebrews 7:22 - a surety

Cross-References

Genesis 20:3
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
Genesis 20:5
Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
Genesis 20:6
And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
Genesis 20:8
Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
Genesis 20:9
Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
Genesis 24:65
For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
Genesis 26:11
And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
Proverbs 12:1
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
Proverbs 25:12
As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
Proverbs 27:5
Open rebuke is better than secret love.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Take his garment that is surety [for] a stranger,.... Which a man is cautioned against, Proverbs 6:1; but if a man will be so weak and foolish, others ought to take care of him, and be cautious how they trust him; for he is in danger of being ruined by his suretyship, and therefore nothing should be lent him without a pledge, without a proper security; for though it was not lawful to take the garment of a poor man for a pledge, at least it was not to be kept after sunset,

Exodus 22:26; yet it was right to take such a man's garment who had or would be thought to have such an abundance as to be surety for a stranger. Some think these words are to be taken as a prophecy of what would be the case of such a man that is a surety for a stranger; in the issue he will be stripped of all he has, and have not a coat to put on. It has been applied to our Lord Jesus Christ, who became a surety for such who were foreigners and strangers, and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel; and who had the garment of his human nature taken from him and which was a pledge and ransom for the sins of his people;

and take a pledge of him for a strange woman; a harlot; such as have to do with lewd women are not to be trusted; for they are in a fair way for ruin, and therefore should not be intrusted with anything without a pledge; all in connection with such creatures lose their credit; it is dangerous having any concern with them in trade for they are liable to be brought to a piece of bread; and therefore persons should be cautious how they trade with them, and should observe to secure themselves.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The 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 probably right, the feminine being the reading of the margin, probably adopted from Proverbs 27:13.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 20:16. Take 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.


 
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