Harassed and Helpless

In my continuing journey through the KJV in celebration of the 400th year since it was completed (1611), I was reading in Matt 9.36, this morning. The KJV translates it as: “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. ” (Matthew 9:36, KJV 1900). The translation is based on an eighth century error in copying the Greek text. It is more accurately translated: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ” (Matthew 9:36, ESV)

Matthew's comment is interesting, what did he mean that Christ saw the crowd as "harassed and helpless?" Harassed by political authorities? By their economic situation? By their state of sin? The immediate context connects both physical affliction and illness and evangelism; indeed the very next verse is where Christ points out that "the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." I would tend to think that being "harassed" in this context would imply both physical and spiritual harassment and need. In other words the crowd was both physically and spiritually unsettled or troubled.