Saw may be “looked at” or “observed.”
Crowds may need to be “crowds of people.”
Had compassion translates a Greek verb which is used quite frequently in the Gospels. In Matthew it is found in 14.14; 15.32; 18.27; 20.34. The root meaning is “to be stirred up with feeling.” New Jerusalem Bible renders “he felt sorry,” and New English Bible “the sight of the people moved him to pity.” New American Bible is similar to Good News Translation, “his heart was moved with pity.” Other suggestions are “he was filled with compassion for them” or “pity for them filled him.” Many languages will have an idiom that describes this feeling of pity and love.
Harassed translates a participle derived from a verb stem which originally meant “flayed” or “skinned.” In the New Testament, however, it always has a figurative meaning: “troubled,” “harassed,” “worried,” or “bewildered,” or possibly “confused” or “upset.”
Helpless also translates a Greek participle. It derives from a verb which originally means “throw away (or, down),” but Matthew quite obviously uses it in a figurative sense. New English Bible translates as Good News Translation does; several others have “dejected” (An American Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Barclay), while Phillips translates “miserable.” The two participles are represented in New American Bible as “They were lying prostrate from exhaustion,” which seems to squeeze too much from the etymology of the verb, for it is hardly conceivable that the people were actually lying on the ground, physically exhausted! In addition to a literal translation of helpless, other possible words are “defeated” or “vulnerable.”
The closest parallel to the expression like sheep without a shepherd is Numbers 27.17. But see also 1 Kings 22.17; 2 Chronicles 18.16; Isaiah 53.6; Ezekiel 34.5. This verse indicates that the call for laborers to go to the harvest (verses 37-38) is based upon the compassion of Jesus.
The simile like sheep without a shepherd can pose something of a problem in areas where sheep are not well known. It may be necessary to say “like animals that need to be watched, but have no one to take care of them.” However, since sheep occur so often in the Bible, most translators have tried to retain “sheep” where possible, perhaps calling them “domestic animals called sheep.” If possible, however, the sentence should not be too long or awkward.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .