BWV 65 ("All they from Sheba shall come") was composed in 1724 for Epiphany Sunday, being first performed in Leipzig on January 6 that year. It therefore dates from the first of the annual cantata cycles (Jahrgang) Bach wrote after taking up his post of cantor at the Thomasschule in Leipzig in 1723, a period of feverish activity during which the composer was producing a new cantata weekly. The unknown author of the text draws on the Gospel for the day, the story of the visit of the Magi to the stable in which Jesus was born (Matthew 2:1-12), and also the Lutheran Epiphany Epistle (Isaiah 60:1-6), from which the cantata derives its title. The scoring is for the usual four-part vocal ensemble, with an orchestral accompaniment calling for pairs of horns, recorders, oboes da caccia, plus the usual complement of strings and continuo. The cantata opens with a picturesque and colorfully orchestrated instrumental introduction that serves as a perfect preface to a magnificent chorus celebrating the gathering of the hosts preparing to glorify the Christ child. Bach's stress here on the word "all" signifies that he has in mind the whole Christian community rather than just the Magi's entourage. This thrilling opening is followed by a four-part harmonization of the Christmas hymn "Ein kind geborn zu Bethlehem" (1545). This is followed by a recitative (which includes passages of arioso) and aria for solo bass, the topic being the bringing of gifts to the manger, the rusticity of the scene painted in the aria by the obbligato writing in canon for the two oboes da caccia, instruments associated with pastoral subjects. Next comes another recitative/aria pairing, this time for tenor. The joyous dance rhythms of the aria are given to a richly-scored orchestra featuring all the instruments mentioned above, the lavishness explained by the text's reference to "wealth's abundance." The aria is a fervent expression of faith in which the singer promises to give to God "All, all that I am." This uplifting cantata ends with another chorale, a simple four-part harmonization of an anonymous melody set to the hymn "Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn" by Paul Gerhardt (1647).

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