Idle
ἀργόςStrong’s G0692argos
Appears in 7 verses of the New Testament
In short
Argos is the Greek word usually translated “idle”, “careless” and “lazy”. It appears in 7 verses of the New Testament.
“And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.”
Meaning
Usually translated “idle”, “careless” and “lazy”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- idle 6
- careless 1
- lazy 1
- worthless 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Matthew 3
- 1 Timothy 1
- Titus 1
- James 1
- 2 Peter 1
5 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Titus 1:12In contextOne of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
- 2 Peter 1:8In contextFor if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Matthew 12:36But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
- Matthew 20:3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
- Matthew 20:6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
- James 2:20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Greek dictionary
ἀργός argos · idle
ἀργός, -όν (in late Gk., incl. NT, -ή, -όν; ἀ- neg., ἔργον) [in LXX: 3Ki.6:7 (מַסָּע), Wis.14:5 15:15, Sir.37:11 38:28 * ;] inactive, idle: Mat.20:3, 6, 1Ti.5:13, Tit.1:12, 2Pe.1:8. Metaphorical, of things, inactive, ineffective, worthless: ῥῆμα, Mat.12:36; πίστις, Jas.2:20 (see Cremer, 259 f.).† SYN.: βραδύς, slow; νωθρός, sluggish (Tr., Syn., § civ) (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “idle” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
I'DLE, adjective
- Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing.“Why stand ye here all the day idle?” Matthew 20:6
- Slothful; given to rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; as an idle man; an idle fellow.
- Affording leisure; vacant; not occupied; as idle time; idle hours.
- Remaining unused; unemployed; applied to things; as, my sword or spear is idle
All definitions and other forms of “idle”
- Useless; vain; ineffectual; as idle rage.
- Unfruitful; barren; not productive of good.
- Trifling; vain; of no importance; as an idle story; an idle reason; idle arguments.
- Unprofitable; not tending to edification.“Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment” Matthew 12:36
I'DLE, verb intransitive
To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.