He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who is collateral for a stranger will suffer for it, but he who refuses pledges of collateral is secure.
- BSB He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.
- NKJV He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, But one who hates being surety is secure.
- NASB One who is a guarantor for a stranger will certainly suffer for it, But one who hates being a guarantor is secure.
- NLT There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt; it’s safer not to guarantee another person’s debt.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Putting up security for a stranger leads to suffering, but refusing such pledges keeps one safe. Be cautious about taking on others' financial risks.
Overview
Proverbs repeatedly warns against rashly guaranteeing the debts of those one does not know well, which can bring serious harm. The counsel is prudence, not heartlessness, urging careful judgment in financial commitments. Such wisdom helps God's people steward resources faithfully and avoid needless entanglement and ruin.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Prov 17:18A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.
- Prov 6:1–5My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
- Prov 20:16Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
- Prov 22:26–27Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 11:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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