A DOWN PAYMENT — a commercial term Greek borrowed from Semitic traders (Hebrew eravon, the very pledge Judah leaves with Tamar in Genesis 38:18): the first instalment that both guarantees the rest AND is itself part of the full sum, legally binding the buyer to complete the deal. Paul calls the Spirit the arrabōn 'in our hearts' (2 Corinthians 1:22; also 5:5; Ephesians 1:14) — not a substitute for what is coming but a genuine first taste of it, the same currency as the balance. ⚠ In modern Greek arravónas is still the word for an ENGAGEMENT RING. KJV 'the earnest of the Spirit' — 'earnest' being the old English commercial word for exactly this; NWT 'a token of what is to come'. → first discussed at 2 Corinthians 1:22