ἀρραβών

From the study of 2 Corinthians 5:5

Range of meaning

A word from trade and law. It means money or goods handed over in advance as the first part of a payment, which binds the payer to complete the deal: a deposit, first installment or down payment. It can shade toward "pledge" or "security", but in Greek usage of Paul's day the usual idea is a part of the whole price, paid now, with the rest to follow. BDAG gives "payment of part of a purchase price in advance, first installment, deposit, down payment, pledge".

Against the English

KJV and YLT have "earnest" (from the old legal phrase "earnest money"). WEB has "down payment", NIV "deposit", NASB and BSB "pledge", ESV and NLT "guarantee". "Down payment" and "deposit" keep the key idea that the gift is a real part of what is coming. "Guarantee" and "pledge" can suggest a promise or a piece of collateral that is separate from the payment itself.

How it drifted

"Earnest" was exact in 1611 English: earnest money was part of the price paid to seal a bargain. Today most readers know "earnest" only as "sincere", though "earnest money" survives in property sales. "Guarantee" and "pledge" are not wrong, but they lose the idea that the deposit is a piece of the thing itself.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word was borrowed from the Semitic world (Hebrew ʿērābôn), probably through Phoenician traders. In Genesis 38:17–20 (in both the Hebrew and the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament) Judah leaves his seal, cord and staff with Tamar as an arrabōn until he sends the promised goat. That is a pledge that would be returned. Classical Greek already used it in business: Aristotle (Politics 1.11) tells how Thales paid deposits (arrabōnas) to reserve olive presses. Greek papyri from Egypt use it for advance payments in sales and hire contracts, for example deposits paid on goods or to book performers for a festival. These are the first part of the agreed sum, forfeited if the payer backs out (Moulton–Milligan). Paul uses it only of the Spirit: here, in 1:22, and Ephesians 1:14 has the same idea ("the arrabōn of our inheritance, until the redemption").

From the study of 2 Corinthians 1:22

Range of meaning

A word from commerce and law. It meant a down payment, deposit or first installment: part of the agreed price paid in advance, which made the deal binding and committed the payer to pay the rest. If the payer backed out, he normally lost it. Unlike a pawned item, an arrabōn usually was not returned. It was the start of the full payment, the same kind of thing as what was still to come.

Against the English

KJV/YLT "earnest" was exact in 1611 ("earnest money") but now sounds like "sincere". "Pledge" (BSB, NASB) and "guarantee" (ESV) are not wrong, but they can suggest a promise or security set apart from the payment. The Greek word is part of the payment itself. "Deposit" (NIV), "down payment" (WEB) and "first installment" (NLT) come closest.

How it drifted

English "earnest" in this sense came, through Old French and Latin (arra/arrha), from this same Greek word. Its everyday meaning was forgotten. In modern Greek, arrabōna has come to mean an engagement or engagement ring, a later development sometimes read back into Paul.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is a Semitic loanword, probably brought by Phoenician traders. Compare Hebrew ʿērābôn, "pledge", from ʿārab, "to stand surety". The Greek Old Testament (LXX) uses ἀρραβών in Genesis 38:17–20 for the security Judah leaves with Tamar (his seal, cord and staff), a pledge that was to be redeemed. In Greek business papyri (collected in Moulton–Milligan) it is the advance on sales and hiring contracts, such as part of the price of an animal or an advance to hired performers. Paul uses it three times, always for the Spirit (2 Cor 1:22; 5:5; Eph 1:14 "the arrabōn of our inheritance"). A close parallel is Romans 8:23, "the firstfruits (aparchē) of the Spirit". Latin writers such as Augustine later pointed out that an arra is completed rather than given back, unlike a pignus (pawn).

From the study of Ephesians 1:14

Range of meaning

A loanword from Semitic trade language (Hebrew ʿērābôn, Phoenician ʿrb). In Greek commerce it meant a payment of part of the price in advance: a deposit or first installment that makes a contract binding and commits the payer to pay the remainder. If the buyer backed out, the deposit was forfeited. BDAG: 'payment of part of a purchase price in advance, first installment, deposit, down payment, pledge.'

Against the English

KJV 'earnest' (from 'earnest money') was accurate in 1611 but now sounds like 'sincere'. 'Pledge' (BSB, WEB) now suggests a verbal promise or an item pawned and later returned. 'Guarantee' (ESV, NLT) suggests a warranty or an outside assurance. NIV's 'deposit guaranteeing' comes closest, though 'deposit' can also suggest a refundable security deposit. The key point that most English loses: an arrabōn is a portion of the very thing promised, not a separate token.

How it drifted

English 'earnest' lost its commercial sense. The Latin Vulgate's 'pignus' (a pledge or security, often a pawned object) pushed Western translation toward 'pledge', which is a slightly different legal idea from a down payment.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Genesis 38:17, 18, 20: Judah gives Tamar his seal, cord and staff as an ʿērābôn/arrabōn, a security held until the promised goat is paid, then to be returned. That is the older 'security' sense. Greek papyri of the Roman period (collected in Moulton and Milligan) use arrabōn for advance payments in sales and in contracts hiring workers or performers: money paid up front, counted toward the full sum. Paul uses the word only of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:14). In modern Greek arrabōna means an engagement, or engagement ring, but that sense comes much later.