The words of this aria, which is laced with interjections from the chorus, are almost unadulterated Brockes. The music is conceived on two levels – a solo bass voice with orchestra and a three part chorus (SSA) interrupting periodically, as if from afar. As for the word folge (follow) in movement 13, the word Eilt (hasten) is always set to ascending scales which give the music a sense of forward movement and urgency. Like much of Bach’s instrumental music, and indeed many of the arias and choruses in the passions, cantatas, masses and motets, this movement is constructed on the ritornello principle. This is when almost all of the melodic material in the movement is derived from the opening phrase, which is subsequently repeated, fragmented, transposed and inverted to generate the music for the remainder of the movement. Another feature of this movement is the constant trick Bach uses of displacing the natural beat by means of a hemiola. This happens in the upper string parts as early as bar 4, and in all of the choral interjections, where these parts temporarily appear to be in duple time but the continuo part and bass soloist remain firmly in triple time. In no. 49 Pilate’s provocation of the Jews continues. Bach illustrates this by setting Pilate’s written words to a much slower tempo and in a major key, when the surrounding harmony either is in a minor key or is tonally ambiguous and often diminished. To perpetuate the palindrome, the music of no. 50 is almost identical to the chorus of mocking which was movement 33. The common factor of Jüden könig dominates both movements. This chorus completes section B² of the palindrome.