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Idle
Idleness • Lethargy • Sloth
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Dictionaries
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised
Idle
Idle[Heb rāp̱â] (Ex. 5:8, 17); NEB LAZY; [remîyâ] (Prov. 19:15); NEB IDLERS; [pāraṭ] (“sing idle songs,” Am. 6:5); AV CHANT; NEB “pluck the strings”; [Gk. argós] (Mt. 20:3, 6); NEB also “nothing to do”; [lé̄ros] (Lk. 24:11); NEB NONSENSE; [átaktos] (1 Thess. 5:14); AV UNRULY; NEB CARELESS;
The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia
Idle
IDLE. Laziness or indolence which, according to Heb. wisdom literature leads to poverty (Prov 19:15; Eccl 10:18). Earlier Pharaoh had accused the complaining Israelites of idleness (Ex 5:8–17). The NT word argos (Mt 12:36; 20:3, 6; 1 Tim 5:13) means “inactive” or “useless.”
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary
Idle
IDLE. This word appears in Matt. 12:36, KJV, with the meaning of unprofitable or pernicious. The NASB renders “careless,” marg. “useless.” The meaning of the term in Luke 24:11, KJV, is nonsensical, absurd. The NASB reads “as nonsense.”
Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Idle
IDLE — useless, inactive, lazy. The Bible declares that the idle person will come to poverty and suffer hunger (Prov. 14:23; 19:15).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
IDLE; IDLENESS
IDLE; IDLENESS<i’-d’-l>, <i’-d’-l-nes>: Both words, adjective and noun, render different Hebrew words (from [עָצֵל‎, ̀atsel], “to be lazy,” [רָפָה‎, raphah], “to relax,” and [שָׁקַט‎, shaqaT], “to be quiet”). According to the Yahwistic narrative Pharaoh’s retort to the complaints of the Israelites
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Idle
IDLE Not engaged in earning a living; depending on the labor and generosity of others for support. Scripture distinguishes between those unwilling to work who should not eat (2 Thess. 3:10) and those unable to earn a living (e.g., “true” widows, 1 Tim. 5:9) for whom the community of faith is responsible.
The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Volume 3, H–L
Idleness
idleness. Various Hebrew terms can be rendered “idle (ness)” or “laziness.” For example, the niphal participle of the verb rāpâ H8332, “to relax, become slack,” is used in Pharaoh’s criticism of the Israelites because of their desire to go away to worship God (Exod. 5:8; 5:17). The noun ʿaṣlût H6791
The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5
Idle, Idleness
IDLE, īʹd’l, IDLENESS, iʹd’l-nes: Both words, adj. and noun, render different Heb words (from עָצֵל‎, ῾āçēl, “to be lazy,” רָפָה‎, rāphāh, “to relax,” and שָׁקַט‎, shāḳaṭ, “to be quiet”). According to the Yahwistic narrative Pharaoh’s retort to the complaints of the Israelites was a charge of indolence
See also
Topics & Themes
Laziness and Apathy