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Matthew 9:37
Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few.'
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Interpretation

Matthew 9:37 shows a harvest that is lived within concrete decisions—see "said" and "disciples". Let harvest in generosity without notice—teach the body new reflexes.

Context

The setting is Matthew—gospel narrative, highlighting harvest. Within ch. 9, a small unit frames the emphasis. Watch the terms “said” and “disciples”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Long‑standing tradition credits Matthew to Matthew the disciple, once a tax collector. Many scholars judge Matthew as follows: Initially anonymous; tradition later assigns Matthew; engages Mark alongside a sayings tradition.. Scholars commonly date Matthew AD 80–90. Matthew seems aimed at Jewish‑Christian community.. Jesus teaches as a new Moses figure. Readers often compare Matthew’s arrangement and sources with Mark and Q.

More details
Traditional:Matthew the tax collector
Modern scholarship:Anonymous; attributed to Matthew; uses Mark + Q source.
Date:AD 80–90
Audience:Jewish‑Christian community.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in 5,800+ manuscripts, surpassing other ancient works in manuscript count. Early papyri from the 2nd-3rd centuries like P46, P66, P75 provide text within about 100-150 years of its writing. Major uncial codices (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 4th century) contain complete or near-complete texts. The Byzantine text family represents the majority of later manuscripts. Textual variants exist but are mostly minor: word order, articles, spelling. No central Christian doctrine depends on any disputed text. Modern critical editions compare all manuscript families to determine the probably reflects the initial text reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46