We are promised comfort by an unknown being, but we do not know where it will come from or in what form it will appear, so we can only assume that it is a human source. In the midst of death, we are to be patient for the Lord's coming although we do not know who that is or what significance his appearance will have. The redeemed will rejoice, but we do not know how they will achieve that status. The souls of the righteous are in God's hand, yet we are not sure who that includes or why, so perhaps it includes everyone. More importantly, the statement is puzzling because we may not even believe that God exists or that our being possesses a soul. We anticipate the joy of a heavenly existence, but it is clearly not the heaven of the Bible, even though words from the Bible are used to describe it. We do not know who “Zebaoth” refers to, so it is permissible to ignore the name. We do know some of the meanings associated with Zion, but it is probably safest just to disregard them. (Brahms obviously included words that are not that important to the work's meaning.) We are told to rejoice because death will be swallowed up in victory, although we know not how this is possible or who is responsible. There will be a resurrection of the dead, but it is certainly not the same one attributed to Christ's own death and resurrection, since his name is never mentioned. In heaven we will sing praises to the creator of everything, although we may believe that the universe is the result of pure cosmic happenstance. Those who die in the Lord will be blessed, even though the identity of this Lord remains a mystery.