Proverbs 6:2

Thou art snared. The one who goes surety for a friend may be snared (1) by promising to be responsible for the payment of a sum larger than he can raise, at least without great distress, and (2) by putting too high a trust in the honesty, ability, and good fortune of his friend. Though Solomon warns against becoming surety (see chs. 11:15; 17:18), he is equally insistent that a man must help his friend and neighbor in time of need (chs. 14:21; 17:17; 18:24; 27:10). A combining of these ideas suggests the following advice: Pledge to a friend in need no more than you can afford at that time, and set the money aside for the duration of the pledge, so that you cannot be faced with a sudden demand for the payment of a sum that is beyond your ability to meet. Friends frequently fail sometimes through carelessness, because they know the burden will fall upon another, sometimes through sickness or poor business ability. Their failure is visited upon the unfortunate surety with all the severity of the law. His house and land, his furniture and clothes, his business and his stock, may all be at the mercy of the creditor. In Solomon’s day, even the surety’s person was not spared. He, his wife, and children, all could be sold into slavery.