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It wasn't that they were so smart [to avoid Herod on the way back], but they were warned not to return to Herod.

Sigh. Let me try one more time.

Why weren't they advised to avoid him to begin with? Wasn't the wholesale slaughter of an entire generation of infants worth avoiding?

We appear to be talking past each other. My point was that if the premise is false - "if they were so smart" - then the conclusion is irrelevant. That is basic logic. Are you saying that if they were so smart to avoid Herod on the way home, why didn't they avoid him to begin with? Well, I am saying that they weren't necessarily smart to avoid Herod on the way home because they were specifically warned to avoid him.

Being able to see into the future - slaughter of infants - was not part of their skill set, so to speak, and is not related to intelligence. Hindsight can be 20/20, but most people don't have 20/20 foresight. You are looking at the situation with hindsight.

God works in mysterious ways. Why did He choose Peter who denied Him three times to be his first Pope or Judas who would betray Him? It is all part of God's plan, but that does not mean that we can fully comprehend His plan.