Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
Take the coat from someone who promises to pay a stranger's debt, and hold onto something valuable from someone who guarantees payment for an unfamiliar woman.
This verse is warning about the foolishness of making financial promises for people you don't know well - it's so risky that lenders should demand extra security.
📚 Historical Context
Proverbs 20:16 is part of the wisdom literature in the Old Testament, attributed to King Solomon, which offers practical advice for daily living in ancient Israel. In that culture, people often used personal items like garments as collateral for loans, and this verse warns against the risks of guaranteeing debts for unreliable individuals, such as strangers or unfaithful women, to promote financial prudence. Such practices were common in the economic systems of the Near East, where debt and repayment were everyday concerns.
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