“The simple” are naive, immature, easily persuaded and without discriminating judgement. In Hebrew, this noun comes from the verb “to be open or spacious.” You get the picture!
“The simple believe anything” may not sound bad…but it is. While “the simple” aren’t necessarily doing anything evil, they set themselves up to be taken advantage of by lots of people who are.
These folks are contrasted with “the prudent.” I like to call them “street smart” because the same term (“prudent”) has both a positive and negative connotation — including the “crafty” (same term) serpent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1)!
So, “the prudent” are not automatically good, but they do have the ability to look a situation over, draw on their experience and make their own deliberate choice.
These two characters are totally opposite. One is swayed by anything and the other makes choices based on their own experience, knowledge and understanding.
They’re light and darkness…day and night…Oscar and Felix! Neither is necessarily intrinsically bad, but their qualities can sure get them — and others — into a lot of trouble.
The situation of these two may sound a lot like people we know…or even us! Not bad people, they just seem to take things in the wrong direction.
Good news…they (we!) can change — but they’ll need some divine guidance (available) and some good human support (equally available)!