A lender should take real collateral from anyone foolish enough to guarantee a stranger's debt.
Solomon returns to a familiar warning in Proverbs 20:16: Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; and for foreigners, hold him in pledge (v. 16). Proverbs has already warned against pledging surety for someone unfamiliar (Proverbs 6:1-5; 11:15; 17:18, and 22:26-27).
The verse turns the instruction toward the lender. If a man is foolish enough to become surety for a stranger, the wise lender takes real collateral. The garment was the outermost piece of clothing, often used as a man's blanket at night.
To hold him in pledge is to make sure his commitment is concrete rather than theoretical. The verse acknowledges the reality of human folly and instructs the wise lender to protect himself from being swept up in someone else's reckless guarantee.
Proverbs 20:16
16 Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger;
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Proverbs 20:16 meaning
Solomon returns to a familiar warning in Proverbs 20:16: Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; and for foreigners, hold him in pledge (v. 16). Proverbs has already warned against pledging surety for someone unfamiliar (Proverbs 6:1-5; 11:15; 17:18, and 22:26-27).
The verse turns the instruction toward the lender. If a man is foolish enough to become surety for a stranger, the wise lender takes real collateral. The garment was the outermost piece of clothing, often used as a man's blanket at night.
To hold him in pledge is to make sure his commitment is concrete rather than theoretical. The verse acknowledges the reality of human folly and instructs the wise lender to protect himself from being swept up in someone else's reckless guarantee.