argos describes persons who remain inactive, and, by extension in the cited clauses, faith, knowledge, or speech lacking productive effect.

The dominant use describes people who are inactive rather than engaged in expected activity. The cited clauses also apply the adjective to faith without works, to being unfruitful in knowledge, and to a spoken word for which account is given.

1. Inactive people · dominant

   In Matthew 20:3 and Matthew 20:6, masculine plural forms describe people standing in the marketplace throughout the day; the APB renders them "idle." In 1 Timothy 5:13, the feminine plural form occurs with going from house to house and saying what ought not be said, while Titus 1:12 places the feminine plural form in a quoted characterization rendered "lazy gluttons."

   Matthew 20:3Matthew 20:61 Timothy 5:13Titus 1:12
2. Lacking effective outcome · common

   In James 2:20, the nominative singular feminine form qualifies faith in the clause "faith without works," which the APB renders "is idle." In 2 Peter 1:8, the accusative plural masculine form stands alongside "unfruitful" in a statement about what increasing qualities prevent toward knowledge.

   James 2:202 Peter 1:8
3. A word requiring account · occasional

   In Matthew 12:36, the accusative singular neuter form modifies "word" in the statement that people will give account on the day of judgment; the APB renders the phrase "every careless word."

   Matthew 12:36

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly uses "idle" in the people, faith, and knowledge clauses, but renders the speech clause "careless word" and the Titus characterization "lazy gluttons." These are presentations of whole clauses in a translation rather than fixed word-by-word renderings.