Matthew 9:37
New International Version
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

New Living Translation
He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.

English Standard Version
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

Berean Standard Bible
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Berean Literal Bible
Then He says to His disciples, "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the workmen are few.

King James Bible
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

New King James Version
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

New American Standard Bible
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

NASB 1995
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

NASB 1977
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Amplified Bible
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few.

Christian Standard Bible
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.

American Standard Version
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, and the labourers are few.”

Contemporary English Version
He said to his disciples, "A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then he saith to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few.

English Revised Version
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, but the workers are few.

Good News Translation
So he said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in.

International Standard Version
Then he told his disciples, "The harvest is vast, but the workers are few.

Literal Standard Version
then He says to His disciples, “The harvest indeed [is] abundant, but the workmen few;

Majority Standard Bible
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

New American Bible
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

NET Bible
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

New Revised Standard Version
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

New Heart English Bible
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then saith he to his disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Weymouth New Testament
Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is abundant, but the reapers are few;

World English Bible
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Young's Literal Translation
then saith he to his disciples, 'The harvest indeed is abundant, but the workmen few;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Lord of the Harvest
36When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”…

Cross References
Matthew 9:38
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest."

Matthew 20:1
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

Luke 10:2
And He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.

John 4:35
Do you not say, 'There are still four months until the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.

James 5:4
Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.


Treasury of Scripture

Then said he to his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;

The harvest.

Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Luke 10:2
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

but.

Psalm 68:11
The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

1 Corinthians 3:9
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

2 Corinthians 6:1
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

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Abundant Disciples Enough Few Grain Great Harvest Indeed Laborers Plenteous Plentiful Reapers Workers Workmen
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Matthew 9
1. Jesus heals a paralytic
9. calls Matthew from the receipt of custom;
10. eats with tax collectors and sinners;
14. defends his disciples for not fasting;
20. cures the sick woman;
23. raises Jairus' daughter from death;
27. gives sight to two blind men;
32. heals a mute man possessed of a demon;
36. and has compassion on the multitude.














(37) Then saith he unto his disciples.--No where in the whole Gospel record is there a more vivid or more touching instance of the reality of our Lord's human emotions. It is not enough for Him to feel compassion Himself. He craves the sympathy of His companions and disciples, and needs even their fellowship in prayer. A great want lies before Him, and He sees that they are the right agents to meet it, if only they will pray to be made so; or, to put the case more clearly, if only they will pray that the work may be done, whether they themselves are or are not the doers of it.

The harvest truly is plenteous.--This is the first occurrence in the record of the first three Gospels of the figure which was afterwards to be expanded in the two parables of the Sower and the Tares, and to reappear in the visions of the Apocalypse (Revelation 14:14-19). We find, however, from the Gospel of St. John--which here, as so often elsewhere, supplies missing links and the germs of thoughts afterwards developed--that it was not a new similitude in our Lord's teaching. Once before, among the alien Samaritans, He had seen the fields white as for the spiritual harvest of the souls of men, and had spoken of him that soweth and him that reapeth (John 4:35-36).

Verses 37, 38. - The utterance is given word for word (except one transposition) at the beginning of the address to the seventy in Luke 10:2. But while serving there as an introduction to the rest of the speech, the reason for it is so much more self-evident here that St. Matthew seems to have recorded it in its original connexion. Our Lord himself, feeling the shepherdless condition of the people, desires to call out the interest of his disciples in it. He wants them to realize both the need of the people and the possibility that lay before the workmen. Changing the metaphor, he bids them pray him, who alone has the right and power, to send more workmen to reap these fields. Verse 37. - Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest - of human souls (John 4:35-38). Truly. So also the Revised Version; too strong a rendering of μέν. Is plenteous (cf. Matthew 10:23; Bengel), but the labourers are few. Who besides himself? John the Baptist, some who had been healed, e.g. the Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5:20, possibly also the blind men of ver. 31), and perhaps a few unknown true believers. Not the twelve, for these are evidently distinguished, and only to be included under the labourers spoken of in the end of the next verse. If, however, the utterance was originally spoken to the seventy (vide supra), the reference would be to the twelve.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Then
Τότε (Tote)
Adverb
Strong's 5119: Then, at that time. From ho and hote; the when, i.e. At the time that.

He said
λέγει (legei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

to
τοῖς (tois)
Article - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

disciples,
μαθηταῖς (mathētais)
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3101: A learner, disciple, pupil. From manthano; a learner, i.e. Pupil.

“The
(Ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

harvest
θερισμὸς (therismos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2326: Reaping, harvest; met: the harvest, crop. From therizo; reaping, i.e. The crop.

[is] plentiful,
πολύς (polys)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4183: Much, many; often.

but
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

the
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

workers
ἐργάται (ergatai)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2040: A field-laborer; then: a laborer, workman in general. From ergon; a toiler; figuratively, a teacher.

[are] few.
ὀλίγοι (oligoi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3641: Puny; especially neuter somewhat.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 9:37 Then he said to his disciples (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 9:36
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