Pro 6:1-5 | NET2full | STEP | My child , if you have made a pledge for your neighbor , if you have become a guarantor for a stranger ,

‏ Proverbs 6:1-5

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.}
2 if ^{▼▼tn The term “if” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.} you have been ensnared ^{▼▼tn The verb יָקַשׁ (yaqash) means “to lay a bait; to lure; to lay snares.” In the Niphal it means “to be caught by bait; to be ensnared”—here in a business entanglement.} by the words you have uttered ^{▼▼tn Heb “by the words of your mouth.” The same expression occurs at the end of the following line (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). Many English versions vary the wording slightly, presumably for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).}
and have been caught by the words you have spoken,
3 then, my child, do this in order to deliver yourself, ^{▼▼tn The syntactical construction of imperative followed by an imperative with vav consecutive denotes purpose: “in order to be delivered.” The verb means “to deliver oneself, be delivered” in the Niphal. The image is one of being snatched or plucked quickly out of some danger or trouble, in the sense of a rescue, as in a “brand snatched [Hophal stem] from the fire” (Zech 3:2).}
because you have fallen into your neighbor’s power: ^{▼▼tn Heb “have come into the hand of your neighbor” (so NASB; cf. KJV, ASV). The idiom using the “hand” means that the individual has come under the control or the power of someone else. This particular word for hand is used to play ironically on its first occurrence in v. 1.}
Go, humble yourself, ^{▼▼tn In the Hitpael the verb רָפַס (rafas) means “to stamp oneself down” or “to humble oneself” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV84). BDB 952 s.v. Hithp suggests “become a suppliant.” G. R. Driver related it to the Akkadian cognate rapasu, “trample,” and interpreted as trampling oneself, swallowing pride, being unremitting in effort (“Some Hebrew Verbs, Nouns, and Pronouns,” JTS 30 [1929]: 374) (cf. NIV11).}
and appeal firmly to ^{▼▼tn Heb “be bold.” The verb רָהַב (rahav) means “to act stormily; to act boisterously; to act arrogantly.” The idea here is a strong one: storm against (beset, importune) your neighbor. The meaning is that he should be bold and not take no for an answer. Cf. NIV84 “press your plea”; NIV11 “give no rest”; TEV “beg him to release you.”} your neighbor.
4 Permit no sleep to your eyes ^{▼▼tn Heb “do not give sleep to your eyes.” The point is to go to the neighbor and seek release from the agreement immediately (cf. NLT “Don’t rest until you do”).}
or slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from a snare ^{▼▼tn Heb “from the hand.” Most translations supply “of the hunter.” The word “hand” can signify power, control; so the meaning is that of a gazelle freeing itself from a snare or a trap that a hunter set.}
and like a bird from the trap ^{▼▼tc Heb “hand” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV). Some mss and versions have it as “trap,” which may very well represent an interpretation too.} of the fowler.