The unknown poet of the cantata text stressed the opposites of the gospel, God's justice versus unjust men.

The closing chorale is stanza 7 of "Wo soll ich fliehen hin" by Johann Heermann (1630), to the melody of "Auf meinen lieben Gott", which Bach would treat completely one year later in his chorale cantata Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BWV 5.

[2] The cantata in six movements is scored for three vocal soloists (soprano, alto and bass), a four-part choir only in the chorale, horn, two oboes, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.

One motif in the ritornello is similar to one in the chorus "Lasset uns den nicht zerteilen" from Bach's St John Passion and may illustrate undecidedness in both cases.

[2] The closing chorale is set for four parts; the melody[4] in the soprano is doubled by the horn, the oboes, and violin I.