ἀρραβών (arrabōn)
arrabōn
guarantee
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun arrhabōn refers to a down payment or earnest money given at the start of a transaction to guarantee that the full price will be paid later. In ancient commerce, this partial payment served as a binding pledge, assuring both buyer and seller that the deal was secure and the remainder would follow.
Paul uses this commercial term in two key passages to describe the Holy Spirit’s role in believers’ lives (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:14). Rather than a vague promise, the Spirit is presented as the tangible first installment of God’s future inheritance. This usage transforms a legal concept into a theological assurance: what has been given now guarantees what will be fully realized in the future.
The word likely entered Greek from Phoenician or Hebrew roots, where similar terms denoted security deposits. By applying it to the Spirit, Paul emphasizes that salvation is not merely a future hope but a present reality anchored by God’s own guarantee. The presence of the Spirit confirms that redemption is already underway and will inevitably reach its completion.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word arrabōn describes a down payment that guarantees the full price will be paid later. In ancient commerce, this partial payment served as a binding pledge, assuring both buyer and seller that the deal was secure. Paul uses this term to describe the Holy Spirit’s role in believers’ lives, transforming a legal concept into theological assurance.
This means salvation is not merely a future hope but a present reality anchored by God’s own guarantee. The presence of the Spirit confirms that redemption is already underway and will inevitably reach its completion. You can trust that what has been given now guarantees what will be fully realized in the future.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- pledge2×
- [the] guarantee1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἀρραβῶνα2×
- ἀρραβὼν1×
Key Verses
-
II Corinthians 1:22
who also sealed us and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.
This verse connects the sealing of believers with the giving of the Spirit as a down payment, emphasizing personal assurance.
-
Ephesians 1:14
who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
Here the Spirit is explicitly called a pledge for our inheritance, linking the present gift to future redemption.
-
II Corinthians 5:5
Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit.
Paul notes that God Himself prepared us for this and gave the Spirit as a guarantee, highlighting divine initiative.