The cantata ends with a chorale, stanza 10 of Paul Gerhardt's hymn "Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn".

Bach festively scored the seven-movement cantata, for two vocal soloists (tenor and bass), a four-part choir and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of two horns, two recorders, two oboes da caccia, strings and basso continuo.

Bach wrote the cantata in 1724, in his first year as Thomaskantor (director of church music) in Leipzig, to conclude his first Christmas season on the Feast of Epiphany.

[4] The librettist begins with the final verse of the epistle reading, Isaiah's prophecy "all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense".

[3] In his Christmas Oratorio of 1734, Bach dedicated Part VI, Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben, to the topic and the occasion and first performed it on 6 January 1735.

Bach scored the cantata for two vocal soloists (tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir and a festive Baroque instrumental ensemble of two horns (Co), two recorders (Fl), two oboes da caccia (Oc), two violins (Vl), viola (Va), and basso continuo.

/ due Fiauti 2 Violini è Viola con 4 Voci", which means: "Jesus help (Jesu Juva – a pre-fixed prayer to most of Bach's compositions).

[2] The tenor recitative, "Verschmähe nicht, du, meiner Seele Licht, mein Herz" (Do not scorn, o You the light of my soul, my heart),[1] begins with a plea, expressed in a line descending through a ninth.

[11] It ends on the notion "des größten Reichtums Überfluß mir dermaleinst im Himmel werden" (the abundance of the greatest wealth must some day be mine in Heaven).

[1] To show the abundance, the dance-like aria, "Nimm mich dir zu eigen hin" (Take me to Yourself as Your own),[1] is accompanied by all the wind instruments, playing concertante and together.

Instead of a conventional da capo aria, Bach creates a bar form by repeating the text of the second idea on new musical material.

),[2] is sung on the melody of "Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit",[14] which Bach used frequently later, as the base for his chorale cantata BWV 111 and movement 25 of his St Matthew Passion.