Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen in G minor, BWV 48 ""Wretched man that I am, who shall redeem me?""

Bach wrote the cantata in 1723 for the 19th Sunday after Trinity as part of his first cantata cycle. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, "put on the new man, which after God is created" (Ephesians 4:22–28), and from the Gospel of Matthew, Healing the paralytic at Capernaum (Matthew 9:1–8). The first movement is written on words from Romans 7:24, stressing the need of the sinner for redemption. The unknown poet saw the soul more in need of rescue than the body, affirmed by a chorale as movement 3, verse 4 of the hymn "Ach Gott und Herr" (1604) attributed to, amongst others, Johann Major and Martin Rutilius [de]. After contemplating ideas based on Psalms 88:11 and 2 Corinthians 12:9, he concludes the cantata in hope, expressed in the closing chorale "Herr Jesu Christ, einiger Trost" (Lord Jesus Christ, only comfort), verse 12 of "Herr Jesu Christ, ich schrei zu dir" (Freiburg 1620).