Translation commentary on Proverbs 20:16

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 .

complete verse (Proverbs 20:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 20:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “It is not good to stand for/be surety for the debt of a person whom you do not know,
    and when/if a person stands as surety of that debt, he takes his things as a pledge/surety.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Those who put up security
    on business deals
    for people they do not know
    are fools
    and their property will be taken as security.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If a man had-promised that he is going to pay you (sing.) the debt of a man whom he does not know, make sure that you (sing.) can-get from him a guarantee, even his clothes, so-that you (sing.) can-be-sure that he will-pay.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The one who stands-for (i.e., guarantees) a debt of a stranger/foreigner, the lender must hold his possessions to cause-to-be-certain that he will pay.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “If you foolishly promise to a stranger that you will pay what he owes if he is unable to pay it ,
    you deserve to have someone take your coat from you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 20:16

20:16

The two lines of this proverb are similar in meaning.

16a
Take the garment of one who posts security for a stranger ;

16b
get collateral if it is for a foreigner.

This proverb is addressed to a money lender. It advises him to take special precautions in making a loan when it involves a stranger. It also implies a warning to the person who guarantees (cosigns) the loan. This person will forfeit his own clothing if the borrower fails to repay the loan.

Three people are involved in the situation referred to in this proverb:

(a) the borrower—the person who owes a debt. This person is referred to here as “a stranger.”

(b) the guarantor—the person who promises/guarantees to pay another person’s debt if that person cannot pay it. This person is referred to here as the “one who puts up security.”

(c) the money lender—this person is the one who is advised to “take the garment.”

The situation described in this proverb is slightly different from the similar situations that are described in 6:1, 11:15, and 17:18. See the notes there. See especially the note on 17:18. This note summarizes the minor differences between the first three situations.

20:16a–b

Take the garment of the one who posts security…get collateral: These parallel commands function as advice to the money lender. The lender is advised to obtain the guarantor’s garment. This will ensure that the guarantor will pay him the money in case the borrower does not repay the loan. The garment was probably the cloak that people wore both during the day and at night.

for a stranger…for a foreigner: These parallel terms both refer to the borrower. The borrower is someone who is not well known. He is a stranger to the guarantor and possibly also to the lender. (See also 11:15a, where the Berean Standard Bible translates the word foreigner as “stranger.”)

The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as foreigner usually refers to a person who is literally from a different country. It can also refer to someone who is an “outsider” to the community and is therefore unknown. The emphasis here is that the person is a stranger. It is not on the particular country that the person is from.

Another way to translate 20:16a–b is:

16a Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt. 16b Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners. (New Living Translation (2004))

Notice that the New Living Translation (2004) translates the function of the word “garment” rather than the literal item itself. This may be a good option in cultures where people do not use clothing as a valuable item that guarantees repayment of a loan.

General Comment on 20:16a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine some of the parallel parts. For example:

Anyone stupid enough to promise to be responsible for a stranger’s debts ought to have their own property held to guarantee payment. (Good News Translation)

20:16b

foreigner: There is a textual issue here that involves two options for this word in the Masoretic Text:

(1) The first option is the word “foreigners ” (masculine plural). For example:

foreigners (New Revised Standard Version)

(2) The second option is the word “foreign woman ” (feminine singular). For example:

wayward woman (New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most versions and scholars. This option frequently occurs as a parallel term with “stranger” and better fits the context. Although “foreigners” is plural, it can refer here to a single foreigner.

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