Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 116:14

"I will pay my vows unto Jehovah, Yea, in the presence of all his people." — Psalms 116:14 (ASV)

I will pay my vows ... — I will perform or execute. The word "vows" here probably refers to the solemn promise that he had made in his sickness—the promise to devote himself to God if he were restored to health. Compare the notes at Isaiah 38:15 and Isaiah 38:20. Such promises are commonly made in sickness and, alas! almost as commonly disregarded and forgotten on restoration to health. Yet such vows should be sacredly observed, for:

1. They are right and proper;
2. They are made in most solemn circumstances;
3. They are usually sincere;
4. They are of the nature of a covenant with God;
5. They are made when we are in the best position to take just views of life—of this life, and of the life to come;
6. The subsequent life would be happier and better if they were faithfully carried out.

Compare the note at Psalm 22:25 and the notes at Psalm 66:13-14.

In the presence of all his people — Publicly. The vows were made in private; on the sickbed; when alone; in the silence of the night-watches; when no eye was upon him who made them but the eye of God. There is a propriety, however, that the expression of thanksgiving should be public. Compare Isaiah 38:20. Indeed, nothing is more proper than public thanks for restoration from sickness; and as in our public assemblies prayer is often specially offered for the sick at their own request, so it would be equally proper that, at their request, public thanks should be rendered for their recovery.