Suretyship
Smith's Bible Dictionary [1]
Suretyship. In the entire absence of commerce, the law laid down no rules on the subject of suretyship; but it is evident that, in the time of Solomon, commercial dealings had become so multiplied that suretyship, in the commercial sense, was common. Proverbs 6:1; Proverbs 11:15; Proverbs 17:18; Proverbs 20:16; Proverbs 22:26; Proverbs 27:13.
But in older times, the notion of one man becoming a surety for a service to be discharged by another was in full force. See Genesis 44:32. The surety, of course, became liable for his client's debts, in case of his failure. [The state of being surety; the obligation of a person to answer for another, and make good any debt or loss which may occur from another's delinquency.]
Webster's Dictionary [2]
(n.) The state of being surety; the obligation of a person to answer for the debt, default, or miscarriage of another.
