Fathers

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What the Fathers say

Proverbs 6:1

Western Saints

Gregory the Dialogist

My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, and art snared with the words of thy mouth, and art taken with thine own speeches. For to be surety for a friend is to take charge of the soul of another on the surety of one's own behaviour. Whence also the hand is stricken with a stranger, because the mind is bound with the care of a responsibility which before was not. …

Pastoral Rule 3.4 ↗

Bede

My son, if you have become surety for your friend, etc. The plain sense of this letter is clear, as it advises one who has become surety for a friend to diligently admonish that friend to repay the money owed to the creditor, thus freeing both himself and the friend. Allegorically, however, in this passage, it addresses the teacher; and further, in the subsequent passage, it instructs anyone wandering on how they should conduct themselves cautiously. …

Commentary on Proverbs ↗