58 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 Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 3, 20).
2 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 a neighbor who was not well known (זָר, zar), perhaps a misfit in the community. The one who pledged security for this one was simply gullible.
3 The conjunction “and” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.
4 Heb “struck your hands”; “have struck hands in pledge”; “have given a pledge.” The guarantee of a pledge was signaled by a handshake (e.g., 11:15; 17:18; 22:26).
5 Heb “stranger.” The term זוּר (zur, “stranger”) probably refers to a neighbor who was not well-known. Alternatively, it could describe a person who is living outside the norms of convention, a moral misfit in the community. In any case, this “stranger” is a high risk in any financial arrangement.
6 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.
7 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.
8 Heb “by the words of your mouth.” The same expression occurs at the end of the following line (cf. , , ). Many English versions vary the wording slightly, presumably for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy (e.g., , , , ).
9 The syntactical construction of imperative followed by an imperative + 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).
10 Heb “have come into the hand of your neighbor” (so ; cf. , ). 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.
11 In the Hitpael the verb רָפַס (rafas) means “to stamp oneself down” or “to humble oneself” (cf. , , ). 952 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,” 30 [1929]: 374).
12 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. “press your plea”; “beg him to release you.”
13 Heb “do not give sleep to your eyes.” The point is to go to the neighbor and seek release from the agreement immediately (cf. “Don’t rest until you do”).
14 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.
15 Heb “hand” (so , , ). Some and versions have it as “trap,” which may very well represent an interpretation too.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

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.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,

if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,

you have been trapped by what you said,

ensnared by the words of your mouth.

So do this, my son, to free yourself,

since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:

Go—to the point of exhaustion—

and give your neighbor no rest!

Allow no sleep to your eyes,

no slumber to your eyelids.

Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,

like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor

or entered into an agreement with a stranger,

you have been snared by the words of your mouth

trapped by the words from your mouth.

Do this, then, my son, and free yourself,

for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power:

Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor.

Don’t give sleep to your eyes

or slumber to your eyelids.

Escape like a gazelle from a hunter,

like a bird from a hunter’s trap.

NLTNew Living Translation

My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt

or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—

if you have trapped yourself by your agreement

and are caught by what you said—

follow my advice and save yourself,

for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.

Now swallow your pride;

go and beg to have your name erased.

Don’t put it off; do it now!

Don’t rest until you do.

Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter,

like a bird fleeing from a net.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

My child, if you have pledged to your neighbor,

if you have bound yourself to the stranger,

if you are snared by the sayings of your mouth,

if you are caught by the sayings of your mouth,

do this, then, my child, and save yourself,

for you have come into the palm of your neighbor’s hand:

Go, humble yourself, plead with your neighbor.

Do not give sleep to your eyes,

or slumber to your eyelids.

Save yourself like a gazelle from a hand,

or like a bird from the hand of a fowler.

KJV 1900King James Version

My son, if thou be surety for thy friend,

If thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth,

Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself,

When thou art come into the hand of thy friend;

Go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

Give not sleep to thine eyes,

Nor slumber to thine eyelids.

Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter,

And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

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Proverbs 6:1–5

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Admonitions and Warnings against Dangerous and Destructive Acts58

Footnotes