Composed for the Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity, which fell on November 12, 1724, Bach's Cantata No. 139 "Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott" (Happy is he who puts his trust in his God) (BWV 139) sets a hymn by Johann Christoph Ruben from 1692 for its outer movements while the inner movements set an anonymous text based on Ruben's hymn and the Gospel According to Matthew 22 15-22. The cantata is scored for tenor, alto, bass and soprano soloists, chorus, a pair of oboe d'amore, strings, and basso continuo. "Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott" is in E major with its first movement in the tonic, its second in the major subdominant of A major, its third and fourth movements in the minor supertonic of F sharp minor, and its fifth and sixth back in the tonic. The first movement is a chorale fantasia with the full orchestra playing the dominant part and the chorus interjecting lines of Ruben's chorale. The second is a brilliant aria in the form of a trio sonata for tenor soloist and lavishly embellished solo violin with continuo. The third is a brief secco recitative for soloist and continuo. The fourth is an unusual aria in the form of a trio sonata for bass soloist, oboe d'amore, and solo violin accompanied by a continuo that alternates between slower passages in common time and passages marked Vivace in 6/8 time. The fifth movement is a more florid and sorrowful recitative for soprano soloist accompanied by strings and continuo. "Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott" concludes with a simple harmonization of Ruben's chorale for chorus and full orchestra colla parte.

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