In 6.1-5 there is a general warning about taking responsibility for another person’s debts. Here the warning is about a situation where the borrower is a stranger, that is, where the risk is likely to be even greater. This same saying occurs again at 27.13 with slight variations. The two lines are very similar in meaning.

“Take a man’s garment when he has given surety for a stranger”: A “garment” was often taken as security for a loan, and could be taken by the lender if the debt was not repaid. “A man’s garment” does not refer to male clothing in particular, but to the outer coat or cloak of any person. “Take” is an imperative, which may be addressed to the lender in this case; or more likely it is not addressed to anyone in particular, but just expresses what the person deserves to have happen to him for being so foolish as to take responsibility for the debt of a stranger. Contemporary English Version takes this approach and says “You deserve to lose your coat if. . .,” and Good News Translation says the same thing in other words. “Given surety” is rendered “become surety” in 6.1. See the comments there. “A stranger” is a person who is not a member of your family, and therefore someone you do not really have an obligation to. See also the comments at 6.1.

“And hold him in pledge when he gives surety for foreigners”: What people are to “hold” is the garment rather than the person; so New Revised Standard Version revises this line to “seize the pledge given as surety. . .,” and New International Version has “hold it in pledge. . ..” The sense of this line is the same as that of the previous line; “hold it in pledge” here is parallel to “Take a man’s garment” in line 1, and “foreigners” is parallel to “a stranger”. “When he gives surety” is not found in the Hebrew of this line; Revised Standard Version and some others repeat it from the first line. Good News Translation makes a single statement to avoid all this repetition and is a good model for translators who wish to take this course.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .