ἀργός G0692
Idle, lazy, not working; by extension: careless, useless, producing no good result.
An adjective formed from alpha-privative + ἔργον (work), literally 'without work.' It applies first to persons standing around with nothing to do — laborers in the marketplace waiting to be hired (Matt 20:3, 6) or young widows going house to house in unproductive restlessness (1 Tim 5:13). A sharper metaphorical edge appears when applied to words and faith: every 'careless' word will face judgment (Matt 12:36), and faith without works is 'useless' (Jas 2:20). The Cretan proverb quoted in Titus 1:12 links laziness to moral failure. Spanish captures the person/thing divide nicely: 'ociosos' for idle workers, 'ociosa/inútil' for empty faith.
Senses
1. idle, lazy — Idle, lazy, unemployed — describing persons who are not engaged in productive work, whether by circumstance or by habit. The parable of the laborers uses it for workers standing idle in the marketplace because no one has hired them (Matt 20:3, 6). In 1 Tim 5:13 young widows become 'idle,' and the Cretan character indictment calls them 'lazy gluttons' (Titus 1:12). French 'paresseux' (lazy) emphasizes the moral dimension, while Spanish 'ociosos' captures the state of having nothing to occupy oneself. 6×
AR["بَطَّالينَ", "بَطّالاتٍ", "كَسالى", "كَسولَةٌ"]·ben["অলস", "অলস,", "বেকার"]·DE["ἀργαί", "ἀργαὶ", "ἀργοί", "ἀργούς", "ἀργοὺς"]·EN["idle", "lazy"]·FR["paresseux"]·heb["בַּטֵלִים", "עֲצֵלִים", "עַצְלָנִיוֹת", "עַצֵלוֹת"]·HI["अअलसि.", "अअलसेए", "निष्क्रिय", "बेकर"]·ID["malas", "malas.", "menganggur"]·IT["argoi", "argous", "pigro"]·jav["kesed", "kesed.", "nganggur", "nganggur,"]·KO["게으른", "게으른-자들", "게으른-자들,", "게으른-자들로", "놓고-있는"]·PT["ociosas", "ociosos", "ociosos;", "ociosos?", "preguiçosos."]·RU["бездельные?", "бездельных;", "ленивые", "праздные", "праздными"]·ES["ociosas", "ociosos"]·SW["Wanasema", "na", "wavivu"]·TR["boş", "tembel", "tembel."]·urd["بیکار", "بے-کار", "سست"]
2. careless, useless, worthless — Careless, useless, producing no beneficial result — an extension from personal idleness to functional worthlessness applied to things, words, or abstract realities. Jesus warns that people will give account for every 'careless' (ἀργόν) word (Matt 12:36), meaning words that accomplish nothing good and may do harm. James declares that faith without works is 'useless' (ἀργή, Jas 2:20) — it lies fallow like unworked land, yielding no harvest. The classical Greek usage of ἀργός for money 'lying idle' or land 'lying fallow' enriches this metaphorical application. 2×
AR["بَاطِلَةٍ", "عقيمٌ"]·ben["অকার্যকর", "নিষ্ফল"]·DE["ἀργή", "ἀργὸν"]·EN["careless", "useless"]·FR["paresseux"]·heb["בְּטֵלָה"]·HI["निष्फल", "व्यरथ"]·ID["sia-sia", "tidak-berguna"]·IT["argon", "pigro"]·jav["tanpa-guna"]·KO["쓸모없음을", "헛된"]·PT["inútil"]·RU["бесплодна", "праздное"]·ES["inútil", "ociosa"]·SW["bure", "haina-kazi"]·TR["boş", "işe-yaramaz"]·urd["بیکار", "بے-کار"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀργός, όν, __Blater ή, όν Refs 4th c.BC+:—properly not working the ground, Refs 5th c.BC+; idle, lazy, opposed to ἐργάτις, Refs 6th c.BC+; ἀ. τὴν διάνοιανRefs 5th c.BC+; ἂν ἀ. ᾖ if he have no trade, Refs 4th c.BC+: with genitive of things, idle at a thing, free from it, τῶν οἴκοθεν from domestic toils, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀ. αἰσχρῶν slow to evil, Refs 5th c.BC+ __B.2 of things, δόρυRefs 5th c.BC+; of…