Proverbs 17:18
in Proverbs 17A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
A man void of understanding striketh hands, And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.
KJV
A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.
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This verse in Proverbs 17
Commentary
6 notes on this verseStriketh hands - Striking each other’s hands, or shaking hands, was anciently the form in concluding a contract. See notes on Pro 6:1.
This site's exposition
A friend loves at all times
on Proverbs 17:17-19
The verse sets "A friend loves at all times" beside "a brother is born for adversity." Striking hands in pledge for a neighbor marks "A man lacking judgment," the book's recurring caution against pledging what cannot be foreseen. Loving strife and building a high gate both invite destruction.
This site's exposition
strikes hands in pledge
Striking hands, or shaking hands, sealed a contract in ancient times, Adam Clarke explains. The man lacking judgment seals a pledge to cover the debt of his neighbor. Clarke points back to the same caution in chapter 6.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A foolish man claps his hands, etc. He is foolish who, when receiving the soul of his brother to be governed, glories in his own deeds, and does not rather help him with humble compassion, rendering whatever help he can of saving aid.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
A man void of understanding striketh hands,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Compare the marginal reference. Since nothing is nobler than the self-sacrifice of the true friend Pro 17:17, so nothing is more contemptible than the weakness which allows itself to be sacrificed for the sake of worthless associates. In the presence of his friend - i. e., “On behalf of” or “to his friend for some third person.”
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אָדָ֣ם | ʾadam | a person | H120 → | 551 times |
| חֲסַר־ | chasar- | lacking of | H2638 → | 17 times |
| לֵ֭ב | lev | heart | H3820 → | 595 times |
| תּוֹקֵ֣עַ | tokea' | [is] striking | H8628 → | 69 times |
| כָּ֑ף | kaf | a palm | H3709 → | 192 times |
| עֹרֵ֥ב | ʾorev | [is] pledging | H6148 → | 22 times |
| עֲ֝רֻבָּ֗ה | ʾarubah | a pledge | H6161 → | |
| לִפְנֵ֥י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| רֵעֵֽהוּ׃ | reehu | neighbor his | H7453 → | 188 times |
אָדָ֣םa person
ʾadamH120 →551 times
חֲסַר־lacking of
chasar-H2638 →17 times
לֵ֭בheart
levH3820 →595 times
תּוֹקֵ֣עַ[is] striking
tokea'H8628 →69 times
כָּ֑ףa palm
kafH3709 →192 times
עֹרֵ֥ב[is] pledging
ʾorevH6148 →22 times
עֲ֝רֻבָּ֗הa pledge
ʾarubahH6161 →
לִפְנֵ֥י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
רֵעֵֽהוּ׃neighbor his
reehuH7453 →188 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 22:16Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.
it leads to
- Proverbs 22:22–23
Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,
- James 2:13
For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Psalms 12:5
“For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”
- James 5:1–5
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
- Proverbs 22:22–23
Through
Proverbs 11:15He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.
it leads to
- Proverbs 22:26–27
Do not be one who gives pledges, who puts up security for debts.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 6:1–5
My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger,
- Proverbs 22:26–27
Through
Proverbs 20:16Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner.
it leads to
- Proverbs 27:13
Take the garment of him who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner.
- Exodus 22:26–27
If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset,
- Proverbs 27:13
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).