Proverbs 20:16
When a stranger has been guarantor, take his garment, || And pledge it for strangers.
Literal Standard Version
In The King James Version
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
In Context
15Substance, gold, and a multitude of rubies, || Indeed, a precious vessel, [are] lips of knowledge.
17The bread of falsehood [is] sweet to a man, || And afterward his mouth is filled [with] gravel.
Cross References
Exodus 22:26if you take the garment of your neighbor in pledge at all, you return it to him during the going in of the sun:
Proverbs 5:3For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, || And her mouth [is] smoother than oil,
Proverbs 7:5To preserve you from a strange woman, || From a stranger who has made her sayings smooth.
Proverbs 11:15An evil [one] suffers when he has been guarantor [for] a stranger, || And whoever hates striking hands [in agreement] is confident.
Proverbs 23:27For a harlot [is] a deep ditch, || And a strange woman [is] a narrow pit.
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 20:16
15 There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. The lips of knowledge (a good understanding to guide the lips and a good elocution to diffuse the knowledge) are to be preferred far before gold, and pearl, and rubies; for, 1. They are more rare in themselves, more scarce and hard to be got. There is gold in many a man's pocket that has no grace in his heart. In Solomon's time there was plenty of gold ( 1 Kings x. 21 ) and abundance of rubies; every body wore them; they… Read the whole commentary →