Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth means to be trapped, bound, and made answerable by one's own spoken commitment when pledging oneself as surety or guaranteeing another person's debt. Signing or endorsing another's debt is not a harmless formality, for a careless promise or signature is a real obligation that binds the maker to pay the full amount if the borrower cannot. The surety must reckon with having to pay even if the borrower becomes insolvent through failure, illness, death, or poor management. Such obligations can bring serious loss, even lifelong bondage, and can leave the surety's family in want.
People should generally avoid becoming surety for another. A person should agree only to an amount he can afford to give without harming his own household. Helping a friend in need may sometimes make becoming surety right.
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth means to be trapped, bound, and made answerable by one's own spoken commitment when pledging oneself as surety or guaranteeing another person's debt. Signing or endorsing another's debt is not a harmless formality, for a careless promise or signature is a real obligation that binds the maker to pay the full amount if the borrower cannot. The surety must reckon with having to pay even if the borrower becomes insolvent through failure, illness, death, or poor management. Such obligations can bring serious loss, even lifelong bondage, and can leave the surety's family in want.
People should generally avoid becoming surety for another. A person should agree only to an amount he can afford to give without harming his own household. Helping a friend in need may sometimes make becoming surety right.