A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.
Parallel translations
- WEB A man void of understanding strikes hands, and becomes collateral in the presence of his neighbor.
- BSB A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
- NKJV A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, And becomes surety for his friend.
- NASB A person lacking in sense shakes hands And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
- NLT It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt or put up security for a friend.
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
It is unwise to pledge security for another's debt without careful thought. It matters because rash financial commitments can bring needless ruin.
Overview
This proverb warns against the senseless person who 'strikes hands,' guaranteeing a neighbor's debt and so becoming liable. Proverbs repeatedly cautions against careless surety (Proverbs 6:1-5; 11:15). It commends prudence and self-control in financial obligations as part of godly wisdom.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Prov 11:15He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure.
- Prov 6:1–5My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
- Prov 22:26–27Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.
- Prov 20:16Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
- Prov 22:16He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
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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 17:18 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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