Proverbs 6:3

6:1-5 If we live as directed by the word of God, we shall find it profitable even in this present world. We are stewards of our worldly substance, and have to answer to the Lord for our disposal of it; to waste it in rash schemes, or such plans as may entangle us in difficulties and temptations, is wrong. A man ought never to be surety for more than he is able and willing to pay, and can afford to pay, without wronging his family; he ought to look upon every sum he is engaged for, as his own debt. If we must take all this care to get our debts to men forgiven, much more to obtain forgiveness with God. Humble thyself to him, make sure of Christ as thy Friend, to plead for thee; pray earnestly that thy sins may be pardoned, and that thou mayest be kept from going down to the pit.

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself,.... Take the following advice, as the best that can be given in such circumstances, in order to be freed from such an obligation, or to be safe and easy under it; when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; or, "because or seeing thou art fallen into the hand of thy friend,'' as the Targum; or "though thou art,'' &c. as Aben Ezra; which may be understood either of the creditor to whom a man is bound, or of the debtor for whom he is bound, or of both; for a surety is in the hands or power of both: he is in the hands of the creditor, who may demand payment of the debt of him; and he is in the hands of the debtor, who, if a careless or crafty and deceitful man, may leave him to the payment of it.

Proverbs 6:3-5 . Do this now, my son — Immediately follow the counsel which I now give thee, and deliver thyself — Use thy utmost endeavours to be discharged; when, or since, thou art come into the hand — That is, into the power; of thy friend — Of the debtor, for whom, as being thy friend, thou didst become surety, whereby thou art in his power, by his neglect or unfaithfulness, to expose thee to the payment of the debt. Go, humble thyself — Hebrew, התרפס , throw thyself down at his feet, or offer thyself to be trodden upon. As thou hast put thyself in his power, and made thyself his servant, bear the fruits of thy own folly, and humbly and earnestly implore him as readily to grant thy request as thou wast forward to comply with his, and forthwith to satisfy the debt, or give thee security against the creditor. Make sure of thy friend — Cease not to urge and importune him by thyself, and by thy friends, till thou hast prevailed with him. The Seventy translate this verse,” Do, my son, the things which I command thee, and deliver thyself: for thou art come into the hands of evil men upon thy friend’s account: go, therefore, be not careless or remiss, but earnest and importunate with thy friend to get thyself discharged.” Give not sleep to thine eyes, &c. — Namely, until thou hast taken care for the discharge of this obligation. Be not secure, nor negligent, nor dilatory in this matter. Deliver thyself as a roe, &c. — With all possible expedition, as a roe runs swiftly away.

(3) When thou art come . . . —Rather, for thou hast come under the power of thy friend; thou hast made thy freedom and property dependent on him for whom thou hast become surety. Humble thyself.—Literally, let thyself be trampled on, humbly sue. Make sure.—Rather, assail impetuously, importune.

3 . when ] Rather, for , or, seeing that , R.V. humble thyself ] Lit. offer thyself to be trampled upon; prostrate thyself. Others render, stir thyself , R.V. marg.; ἴσθι μὴ ἐκλυόμενος , LXX., festina, Vulg. make sure ] Rather, be urgent upon, importune, R.V.; παρόξυνε , LXX.; suscita, Vulg.

Into the hand; into the power. Of thy friend; either, 1. Of the creditor, who possibly may be also thy friend; yet take the following course with him, and much more if he be a stranger. Or, 2. Of the debtor, for whom, as being thy friend, thou didst become surety; whereby thou art not only in the creditor’s power to exact payment, but also in the debtor’s power, by his neglect or unfaithfulness, to expose thee to the payment of the debt. And this may seem best to agree both with Proverbs 6:1 , where friend is taken in that sense, and is distinguished from the creditor, who is called a stranger , and with the words here following; for this humbling of himself was not likely to have much power with a stranger and a griping usurer; but it might probably prevail with his friend, either to take effectual care to pay the debt, or at least to discharge him from the obligation, or to secure him against it some other way. Humble thyself, Heb. offer thyself to be trodden upon , or throw thyself down at his feet . As thou hast made thyself his servant, bear the fruits of thine own folly, and humbly and earnestly implore his patience and clemency. And make sure thy friend; or, and prevail with thy friend ; strive to win him by thine incessant and earnest solicitations. Or, honour or magnify thy friend , which is fitly and properly opposed to, and indeed is in some good measure done by, the humbling a man’s self before him.

Better, "Do this now, O my son, and free thyself when thou hast come into thy friend's house; go, how thyself down (perhaps "stamp with thy foot," or "hasten"), press hotly upon thy friend. By persuasion, and if need be, by threats, get back the bond which thou hast been entrapped into signing:" The "friend" is, as before, the companion, not the creditor.

Verse 3. - In this verse advice is tendered as to what is to be done under the circumstances of this entanglement. The surety is to take immediate steps to be set free. The urgency of the advice is to be explained by the serious consequences which would follow in the event of the debtor not satisfying the creditor in due time. The surety became liable to the penalties inflicted by the Hebrew law of debt. His property could be distrained. His bed and his garment could be taken from him ( Proverbs 22:27 and Proverbs 20:16), and he was liable as well as his family to be reduced to the condition of servitude. So we find the son of Sirach saying, "Suretyship hath undone many of good estate, and shaken them as a wave of the sea: mighty men hath it driven from their houses, so that they wandered among strange nations" (Ecclus. 29:18; cf. 2 Kings 4:1 ; Nehemiah 5:3-5 ; and Matthew 18:25 ). Compare the dictum of Thales, the Greek philosopher, Ἐγγύα πάρα δ ἄτα , "Give surety, and ruin is near;" and that of Chilo (Pliny, 'Nat. Hist.,' 6:32), "Sponsioni non deest jactura" - "Loss is not wanting to a surety." The same idea is conveyed in the modern German proverb, "Burgen soll man wurgen" - "Worry a surety" Do this now; or, therefore. The particle epho is intensive, and emphasizes the command, and in this sense is of frequent occurrence ( Job 17:15 ; Genesis 27:32 ; Genesis 43:11 ; 2 Kings 10:10 , etc.). It appears to be equivalent to the Latin quod dico.

So the Vulgate, "Do therefore what I say;" similarly the LXX. renders, "Do, my son, what I bid thee ( α{ ἐγὼ σοι ἐντέλλομαι )." It carries with it the sense of instant and prompt action. And deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; i.e. set thyself free when thou findest thou art actually at the mercy of thy friend for whom thou hast become surety. The ki ( כִּי ) is not hypothetical, but actual; it is not "if" you are, but "when" or because you actually are in his power. The Vulgate and LXX. render כִּי respectively by quia and γὰρ . Go, humble thyself; i.e. present thyself as a suppliant, prostrate thyself, offer thyself to be trodden upon (Michaelis), or humble thyself like to the threshold which is trampled and trode upon (Rashi). or humble thyself under the soles of his feet (Aben Ezra). The expression implies the spirit of entire submission, in which the surety is to approach his friend in order to be released from his responsibility. The Hebrew verb hith'rappes has, however, been rendered differently. Radically raphas signifies "to tread or trample with the feet," and this has been taken to express haste, or the bestirring of one's self. So the Vulgate reads festina , "hasten;" and the LXX. ἴσθι μὴ ἐκλυόμενος , i.e. "be not remiss." But the hithp, clearly determines in favour of the reflexive rendering; comp. Psalm 68:30 , "Till every one submit himself with pieces of silver" - the only other passage where raphas occurs.