Proverbs 6:1-5
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The phrase "stricken your hand" refers to a literal handshake that sealed a business deal, showing how a simple, seemingly friendly gesture could instantly trap someone in a dangerous financial obligation. The text emphasizes that even acting for a "friend" or a "stranger" carries the same risk, highlighting that trust, not the person, is what can lead to ruin.
My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor. Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage marks the beginning of a new section in Proverbs, moving from general wisdom to specific warnings. The teacher is addressing his "son" (a general term for a disciple) about the dangers of rashly becoming a guarantor for someone else's debt, whether it's for a friend or a stranger. This act of "striking hands" was a formal commitment, and the verses immediately following will detail the severe consequences of this entanglement.
Have you ever wondered what 'striking hands' meant in ancient times? It wasn't just a casual handshake!
When Proverbs speaks of putting up security or 'striking hands,' it refers to a formal, legally binding agreement. This wasn't a lighthearted promise, but a serious pledge of responsibility.
Why would wisdom literature warn so strongly against helping a friend? It’s not about a lack of compassion, but a warning against a specific kind of entanglement.
The core warning in Proverbs 6:1 isn't against charity or helping those in need, but against the specific act of becoming a 'surety,' especially for someone you don't fully trust or understand.
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Understand the original words
ben · Hebrew Noun
A term of endearment used by a teacher or parent to a pupil or child, signifying the transfer of wisdom, instruction, and responsibility in the context of covenantal discipleship.
arab · Hebrew Verb
To guarantee or become responsible for the debt or obligations of another, often involving legal or financial risk; it carries the weight of a legal obligation or bail.
taqa · Hebrew Verb
A legal or formal promise or collateral given to ensure the fulfillment of an obligation, often implying a binding commitment that places the giver in a position of potential vulnerability.
zar · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
One outside one's immediate family, clan, or covenant community; in Proverbs, it frequently warns against entering into unwise social or financial entanglements with those whose motives or reliability are unknown.
yaqosh · Hebrew Verb
To be trapped, ensnared, or ensnared by one's own speech or commitments; it highlights the biblical emphasis on the power and consequence of words.
natsal · Hebrew Verb
To deliver or rescue someone from danger, captivity, or destruction; it implies taking decisive action to escape a precarious situation or divine judgment.
rapas · Hebrew Verb
To act with haste, speed, or urgency, particularly when avoiding danger or responding to a critical situation where delay could be fatal.
rahab · Hebrew Verb
To entreat or beseech someone, particularly in a legal or high-stakes context, to obtain favor or relief from a difficult obligation.
tsebi · Hebrew Noun
A swift, graceful animal used metaphorically in Scripture to represent alertness, agility, and the desperate need for rapid escape from impending doom or the traps of the wicked.
yaqosh · Hebrew Noun
One who traps animals; metaphorically used to describe someone who seeks to destroy, entrap, or ruin another person, often through deceit or cunning schemes.
This passage outlines the original Mosaic Law regarding loans and pledges, showing a concern for the poor and vulnerable, which contrasts with the potential for exploitation warned about in Proverbs.
Nehemiah 5:3-5This historical account illustrates the severe consequences of debt and pledging, where people were forced into servitude, highlighting the dire reality behind the warning in Proverbs.
Romans 13:8This New Testament passage emphasizes fulfilling obligations, particularly the concept of not owing anything to anyone except love, which resonates with the financial and relational entanglements warned against in Proverbs.
2 Corinthians 1:22Paul uses the concept of an 'earnest' or 'pledge' (the same word used for 'surety' in some translations) to describe the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of God's promises, offering a positive contrast to the negative financial suretyship.
bensonProverbs 6:1: "My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,"
Proverbs 6:1-2 . My son, if thou be surety for, or to, thy friend — Namely, rashly and unadvisedly, without considering for whom, or how the thou dost oblige thyself, or how thou shalt discharge the debt if occasion require it: otherwise suretiship, in some cases, may be not only lawful, but an act of justice and charity; if thou hast stricken thy hand — Obliged thyself by giving thy hand,…
barnesProverbs 6:1: "My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,"
Surety - The "pledge," or security for payment, which, for example, David was to bring back from his brothers 1 Samuel 17:18 . So the word was used in the primitive trade transactions of the early Israelites. In the warnings against this suretyship, in the Book of Proverbs, we may trace the influence of contact with the Phoenicians. The merchants of Tyre and Zidon seem to have discovered th…
The phrase "stricken your hand" refers to a literal handshake that sealed a business deal, showing how a simple, seemingly friendly gesture could instantly trap someone in a dangerous financial obligation. The text emphasizes that even acting for a "friend" or a "stranger" carries the same risk, highlighting that trust, not the person, is what can lead to ruin.
This passage marks the beginning of a new section in Proverbs, moving from general wisdom to specific warnings. The teacher is addressing his "son" (a general term for a disciple) about the dangers of rashly becoming a guarantor for someone else's debt, whether it's for a friend or a stranger. This act of "striking hands" was a formal commitment, and the verses immediately following will detail the severe consequences of this entanglement.
This passage marks the beginning of a new section in Proverbs, moving from general wisdom to specific warnings. The teacher is addressing his "son" (a general term for a disciple) about the dangers of rashly becoming a guarantor for someone else's debt, whether it's for a friend or a stranger. This act of "striking hands" was a formal commitment, and the verses immediately following will detail the severe consequences of this entanglement.
"My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself,…" — The phrase "stricken your hand" refers to a literal handshake that sealed a business deal, showing how a simple, seemingly friendly gesture could instantly trap someone in a dangerous financial oblig…
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Last reviewed October 2026
