Bible Dictionaries
Surety
Holman Bible Dictionary
A person who is legally responsible for the debt of another or the money or thing of value put down to guarantee the debt. Should there be a default, the surety would have to pay the debt or even be enslaved until the debt was paid. Judah became surety for Benjamin to Joseph (Genesis 43:9; Genesis 44:32 ). God was asked by a faithful psalmist to be his surety (Psalm 119:121-122 ). Proverbs warns against being surety for someone you do not know well (Proverbs 11:15 ). In a positive sense Jesus is said to be surety for the faithful under the new covenant (Hebrews 7:22 ). See Loan; Pledge; Slavery.
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Bibliography Information
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Surety'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/s/surety.html. 1991.