Bible Strands
Proverbs 20:16
Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The passage belongs to a collection of wisdom sayings directed at a reader seeking practical guidance. It sits between a statement on the rarity of wise speech and a warning about the delayed consequence of deceitful gain.
The words — The Hebrew terms לְקַח (lekach, "take") and חַבְלֵהוּ (chavleh, "hold in pledge") frame the command to seize collateral. The verb עָרַב ('arav, "stands surety") identifies the specific financial act that triggers the warning.
The thread — The instruction repeats in Proverbs 27:13 with identical phrasing and appears alongside Exodus 22:26, which regulates the temporary seizure of a neighbor's cloak. Proverbs 11:15 reinforces the principle by stating that guaranteeing a loan for a stranger guarantees suffering.
Why it lands — The text commands seizing collateral from anyone who posts security for an outsider. It presents the immediate financial consequence of assuming risk for those without established ties.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 27:13 Take the garment of him who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner.
- Exodus 22:26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset,
- Proverbs 11:15 He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.
- Proverbs 22:26 Do not be one who gives pledges, who puts up security for debts.
- Proverbs 2:16 It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
- Proverbs 5:3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
- Proverbs 7:5 that they may keep you from the adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words.
- Proverbs 7:10 Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.
- Proverbs 23:27 For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well.