Proverbs 27:13 (KJV)

What does Proverbs 27:13 mean?

Proverbs 27:13 advises a lender to require security from someone who has promised to pay another person’s debt. The warning concerns a person who has taken responsibility for a stranger or a “strange woman,” and whose promise may leave the lender exposed to loss.

The speaker addresses the lender with two commands: take the person’s garment and take a pledge. A garment could serve as property held against a debt. The lender could claim it if the person failed to pay.

The Hebrew behind Proverbs 27:13

• “surety” — עָרַב (ʿarav): To act as a guarantor, or promise to answer for someone else’s obligation. The person giving the garment is the guarantor, rather than the stranger whose debt is involved.
• “pledge” — חָבַל (ḥaval): To take something as security for a debt. The word describes the lender’s action, not another promise to pay.

Why Proverbs 27:13 matters

• The garment belongs to the person who has made the guarantee. “Take his garment” directs the lender to seek security from that person, not from the stranger.
• “Strange woman” need not mean a woman whose behavior is improper. The phrase points to a woman outside the guarantor’s familiar circle, alongside the verse’s mention of “a stranger.”
• The saying treats a promise to pay another person’s debt as a serious obligation. Taking a pledge gives the lender something tangible to hold against that promise.