35And Jesus went around all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every weakness. [9:36] And seeing the crowds, he was seized with gut-level compassion for them, because they were harassed and thrown down like sheep without a shepherd. [9:37] Then he said to his disciples: The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. [9:38] Therefore implore the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.
MAT 9:35-38
The Lord of the Harvest
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Galilee, Jesus’ ministry of teaching in synagogues, proclaiming the kingdom, and healing diseases would have resonated deeply with Jewish audiences. Synagogues were central to communal life, serving as places of instruction and gathering. Healing every disease and sickness would have been understood not just as physical restoration but also as a sign of divine authority, challenging the cultural stigma around illness and moral weakness. The crowds, described as 'troubled' and 'cast away' , reflect the socio-political turmoil of the time—economic exploitation by Roman taxation, religious fragmentation, and the absence of effective leadership. The metaphor of sheep without a shepherd evokes Ezekiel 34, where Israel’s leaders are condemned for failing to care for the people. Jesus’ call to pray for 'workmen' to be sent into the harvest draws on agricultural imagery familiar to Galilean peasants, emphasizing the urgency of gathering people into God’s kingdom amidst widespread spiritual and social neglect.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
MAT 9:35
- KJV
- And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
- BSB
- Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.
- Koinōnos
- And Jesus went around all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every weakness.
MAT 9:36
- KJV
- But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
- BSB
- When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
- Koinōnos
- And seeing the crowds, he was seized with gut-level compassion for them, because they were harassed and thrown down like sheep without a shepherd.
MAT 9:37
- KJV
- Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
- BSB
- Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
- Koinōnos
- Then he said to his disciples: The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
MAT 9:38
- KJV
- Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
- BSB
- Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”
- Koinōnos
- Therefore implore the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.1.2
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.1.2
“The Jews had for a great while had three sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves; the sect of the Essens, and the sect of the Sadducees, and the third sort of opinions was that of those called Pharisees”
Cited to ground: religious fragmentation
Translator's notes
MAT 9:35
- sickness:The word translated 'sickness' here often referred to a general state of weakness or feebleness, not necessarily a specific disease, but a lack of strength or vitality.
MAT 9:36
- He was moved with compassion:The phrase 'He was moved with compassion' uses a word that literally refers to a deep, visceral churning in the gut, indicating a profound emotional response of pity and empathy.
- troubled:The word translated 'troubled' originally meant to tear or mangle, and by extension, to harass or vex, suggesting a state of being severely distressed or worn out.
- cast away:The word translated 'cast away' implies being thrown down or scattered, suggesting a state of being neglected, abandoned, or without a shepherd to guide and protect them.