Question 1

What does "Simple" mean in the King James Bible?

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Simple" means "naive." Proverbs' urgent pastoral concern. The simple ones were not stupid but unformed -- people who had not yet acquired wisdom and were therefore vulnerable to every deceiver. Proverbs pleads with the simple to gain wisdom before their openness destroys them. When simple became merely 'easy,' this urgent concern for the morally unprotected disappeared.

Question 2

Why did the word "Simple" disappear from modern English?

Accepted Answer

Shifted from 'naive/easily deceived/morally unformed' (Latin simplex 'single-fold, without guile') to 'uncomplicated/easy,' losing the moral vulnerability dimension. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by ~1900 (the 'morally naive/gullible' meaning faded).

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Simple"?

Accepted Answer

"Simple" was replaced by: "naive" (though this french import; simple-as-naive meant dangerously unprotected by wisdom, not charmingly innocent); "gullible" (though this mocking; simple was pitying -- these were people who needed wisdom's protection); "easy" (though this the modern primary meaning -- no moral content whatsoever).

What Does “Simple” Mean in the Bible?

What Was Lost