He composed Du Hirte Israel, höre as part of his first cantata cycle there[2][3] for the second Sunday after Easter, called Misericordias Domini, or "The Lord's mercy".

[2][4] The unknown librettist found Biblical passages to quote and refer to even in the Old Testament, beginning with the first verse from Psalm 80[2] which reads in the King James Version: "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel".

In his poetry the writer referred to more Biblical context, such as Lamentations 3:22–25 and 1 Corinthians 10:13 used for the first recitative, reflecting that God as the Good Shepherd will take care.

In the second recitative, he deduced: "Only gather, o good Shepherd, us poor and erring ones; ah, let our journey soon reach an end and lead us into your sheepfold!"

[4][5] He chose for the conclusion the first stanza of Cornelius Becker's 1598 hymn "Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt", a paraphrase of Psalm 23.

Dürr noted that the Baroque period was fond of pastoral scenes, be it in painting, music or poetry, focused on a tranquil and peaceful mood to be associated to ideals such as innocence, love, faith and friendship.

[6] John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000, reminds of the "predominantly agrarian society" of 18th-century Saxony, with an easy "transfer of rural imagery to contemplative religious texts".

[5] In the instrumental introduction of the opening chorus, three oboes create pastoral sounds, which are frequently associated with shepherds, on the firm ground of extended pedal point in triplets.

[5] The first short recitative, "Der höchste Hirte sorget vor mich" (The Highest Shepherd watches over me), is based on Lamentations 3:22–25, saying that the compassion of the Lord is new every morning.

[1][10] The tenor aria, "Verbirgt mein Hirte sich zu lange" (Though my Shepherd might remain hidden),[1] is accompanied by two oboes d'amore.

[11] Bach emphasized "too anxious" with chromatic harmonies and motifs, and illustrated the cries of the middle section by both octave leaps and rising scales.

[5][10] The second recitative is sung by the bass, "Ja, dieses Wort ist meiner Seelen Speise" (Yes, this word is the nourishment of my soul).