Take the garment of him who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner.
Parallel translations
- WEB Take his garment when he puts up collateral for a stranger. Hold it for a wayward woman!
- KJV Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
- NKJV Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger, And hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress.
- NASB Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger; And for a foreign woman seize a pledge from him.
- NLT Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.
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
Demand security from anyone reckless enough to guarantee a stranger's debt. It warns against the financial danger of rash pledges for others.
Overview
Repeating Proverbs 20:16, the proverb counsels taking collateral from one who has foolishly co-signed for a stranger or loose woman, since such a guarantor is a poor risk. It underscores the repeated biblical warning against thoughtless surety. While this teaches financial prudence, the gospel reveals Christ as the willing surety who pledged Himself for our debt, bearing what we could not pay (Hebrews 7:22).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Prov 20:16Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner.
- Prov 6:1–4My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger,
- Prov 22:26–27Do not be one who gives pledges, who puts up security for debts.
- Exod 22:26If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 27:13 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.