Pro 6:1 | NET2full | STEP | My child , if you have made a pledge for your neighbor , if you have become a guarantor for a stranger ,

‏ Proverbs 6:1

Admonitions and Warnings against Dangerous and Destructive Acts ^{▼▼sn The chapter advises release from foolish indebtedness (1-5), admonishes avoiding laziness (6-11), warns of the danger of poverty (9-11) and deviousness (12-15), lists conduct that the Lord hates (16-19), and warns about immorality (20-35).}

1 My child, ^{▼▼tn Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 3, 20).} if you have made a pledge ^{▼▼sn It was fairly common for people to put up some kind of financial security for someone else, that is, to underwrite another’s debts. But the pledge in view here was foolish because the debtor was someone who was not well known (זָר, zar). The one who pledged security for this one was simply gullible.} for your neighbor, ^{▼▼tn A neighbor (רֵעַ, reaʿ) does not mean a person who lives next door or on your block, but someone whom you are brought into contact with, or live or work with because of life’s circumstances. Since this person is also called a stranger (זָר, zar) at the end of the verse, “neighbor” should be understood in the broadest sense of a social contact.}
if ^{▼▼tn The conjunction “if” does not appear in the Hebrew text. It applies from the previous line and is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.} you have become a guarantor ^{▼▼tn Heb “struck your hands”; NIV11 “have shaken hands in pledge”; NASB “have given a pledge.” The guarantee of a pledge was signaled by a handshake (e.g., 11:15; 17:18; 22:26).} for a stranger, ^{▼▼tn Heb “stranger.” The term זָר (zar, “stranger”) can refer to a stranger who is outside the family, a non-Israelite foreigner, or an unauthorized or prohibited person (like the strange/prohibited woman in Prov 2:16 and 5:3). The person is either not well known or off-limits and represents a high financial risk and/or an undesirable association.}