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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