SU'RETY, n. Certainty indubitableness.
Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs-- Genesis 15
1. Security safety.
Yet for the more surety they looked round about.
2. Foundation of stability support.
We our state
Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds
On other surety none.
3. Evidence ratification confirmation.
She call'd the saints to surety.
That she would never put it from her finger,
Unless she gave it to yourself.
4. Security against loss or damage security for payment.
There remains unpaid
A hundred thousand more, in surety of the which
One part of Aquitain is bound to us.
5. In law, one that is bound with and for another one who enters into a bond or recognizance to answer for another's appearance in court, or for his payment of a debt or for the performance of some act, and who, in case of the principal debtor's failure, is compellable to pay the debt or damages a bondsman a bail.
He that is surety for a stranger, shall smart for it. Proverbs 11
Thy servant became surety for the lad to my father. Genesis 44
6. In Scripture, Christ is called "the surety of a better testament." Hebrews 7:22 . He undertook to make atonement for the sins of men, and thus prepare the way to deliver them from the punishment to which they had rendered themselves liable.
7. A hostage.
The King James Bible has stood its ground for nearly 400 years. However, during that time the English language has changed, and with it the meanings of some words it used. Here are more than 6,500 words whose definitions have changed since 1611.Wikipedia
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