Psalms 116:14

Psa 116:14 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

Ver. 14. I will pay my vows] This word "pay" importeth that vows lawfully made are due debt; and debt, till paid, is a disquieting thing to an honest mind, Rom 13:8. The saints, in distress especially, used to make their prayers with vows. Hence prayer is in Greek called προσευχη, a service with vows. Mr Philpot, martyr, first coming into Smithfield to suffer, kneeled down, and said, I will pay my vows in thee, O Smithfield (Acts & Mon.).

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Psa_116:14

I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all His people.

Whether well-composed religious vows do not exceedingly promote religion

Whoso doth engage himself by a well-ordered vow, doth set his religion in the whole, or in some particular part of it, in very good forwardness. Religion is a gainer by this bargain well made; the bond is to God, but religion receives the interest at least: well-composed vows are religions engines, able to move the weightier burdens and loads, and fit to be only employed in them.

I. What a vow is.

1. A promise.

2. Voluntary.

3. Made to God alone.

II. Whether it be lawful, in any case, for us now to make a vow.

1. What is not evil in itself, nor evil by accident, unless made evil by the undue ordering of it through our fault, may lawfully be done by us.

2. Vows may be lawfully made now by us Christians, because what was lawful to the Jew on moral considerations, and not on any ceremonial considerations, that is also lawful now unto us Christians.

3. Vows may lawfully be made by us Christians; for it is a kind of thankfulness and acknowledgment made to God, with the universal approbation and consent of men.

4. Unless such vows may be accounted lawful to us, I cannot see how we have any way of making free, voluntary, and extraordinary acknowledgments unto God.

5. But that is lawful to us Christians which doth most certainly ensure our duty to God, yet doth not ensnare us in the ensuring of it.

III. When vows are well-composed, and so consequently for the advantage on religion.

1. If you would duly and well compose your vows, you must wait a fit season; not vow on every occasion.

2. When the extraordinary case warrants thee to this extraordinary obliging of thyself, then be sure to proceed deliberately, and with advice. Consider what thou doest: every one condemns rash vows; and, I am sure, inconsiderate vows are rash ones. Here Jephthah failed. Consider--

(1) Whether that thou vowest to do be lawful.

(2) Whether acceptable to God.

(3) Whether that thing which thou vowest bear a proportion to that thou didst expect and pray for when thou vowedst, or to that thou hadst received, for which thou dost now make thy vow.

3. Thou must vow cheerfully, and with a ready mind.

4. Vow sincerely and uprightly.

IV. How well-composed vows promote religion.

1. Religion hath its concernment in the credit and reputation which it hath in the world. Religion hath a name to look after, so well as you or I; and it loseth or gaineth, as it is either honoured or reproached by the professors of it. Now, when times of extraordinary danger drive us to our prayers and vows to the true God, and we resolve to have mercy from Him, or to choose to fall into His hand, this sets the credit and honour of religion, that it can have recourse to God, who, we know, can deliver us. This is somewhat; but the making a vow doth not so much honour religion as the performing of it doth, when it is hereby declared to the world,--that religion is the thing that makes men the same in their mercies which they were in their distresses; that the God whom they worship is the true God, able to require their vows, if they should neglect to pay them.

2. By setting forward the growth of religions in the midst of those who profess it.

3. Vows well made, and kept well, very much improve And promote religion in the heart and life of him who so voweth and keepeth his vow.

V. Whence these well-composed vows have such influence on religion, what have they in them more than ordinary thus to promote it? To this I will answer as briefly as I may: There is in such vows a most notable awakening and quickening power, which sets all a mans care, wisdom, truth, and strength on work, to do the things whereby religion is so much promoted.

VI. Application.

1. If well-composed vows do indeed much promote religion, it will teach us how careful we should be in making our vows to the greatest advantage of religion.

2. Do well advised and composed vows so much promote religion when well and faithfully kept? Are they also such sacred and inviolable bonds? Then look what vows you are under, look how you have performed them. (H. Hurst, M.A.)

Religious decision

I. The elements of which religious decision consists.

1. A settled faith in the principles of Christian truth.

2. A self-denying conformity to the precepts of Christian holiness.

3. A public dedication to the interests of the Christian cause.

II. The arguments by which religious decision is commended.

1. It is a due and proper return for the mercies you have received.

2. It must greatly elevate your own character.

1. It is the source of the purest and highest happiness.

III. The practical result which our contemplation of religious decision and the arguments commending it ought invariably and universally to answer.

1. It is that you should thus be decided and devoted for yourselves.

2. Resolve upon it without delay.

(1) By hesitation you lose time.

(2) By hesitation you diminish the probabilities of devotedness at a future time.

(3) By hesitation you presume guiltily upon the probabilities of future life. (J. Parsons.)

The sanctity of vows

I. A vow is a distinct and conscious assertion of our religious nature. It is made with the most perfect consciousness of personal responsibility, in the presence and under the authority of that august Being to whom all obedience and worship are due. And it is void of all significance and solemnity if the whole religiousness of mans nature does not find expression in it.

II. A vow Is the acknowledgment of moral responsibility, and a confession of guilt before God. In this vow it is confessed that God holds man responsible for what he does. There is no significance in the vow if it is not based upon the recognition of his individual responsibility before the law. And as this springs from a conscience under the pressure of guilt, it is a confession of judgment identical in character with that which will be made by the sinner at the bar of God in the last day.

III. The vow is a voluntary act of the will, and is, therefore, of the nature of a covenant with Almighty God. It cannot be broken, therefore, without the guilt of perjury.

IV. Every proper vow is in the direction of original duty, as well as in the direction of offered grace. A vow is, therefore, doubly binding. It has absorbed into itself an obligation that existed before. It has embodied a duty which was in itself binding, and by its form ratifies, endorses and strengthens that obligation under the sanction of an oath. A voluntary pledge to perform that which is in itself a duty, rivets the obligation upon the conscience, and leaves no loophole for escape. But the vow is also in the direction of offered grace. Being made to Almighty God, with entire reliance upon Divine aid in its fulfilment, it is clearly in the line of the grace which is offered to man.

V. The vow is made under the sanction of the eternal world. For a moment the spiritual eye has been opened to catch a partial glimpse of all that is blessed in heaven, of all that is dreadful in hell, of all that is awful in the judgment-day, of all that is sublime in the vastness of the silent eternity to which we are hastening. How solemn the obligation becomes under the pressure of such a sanction as this! (B. M. Palmer, D. D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14. (Psa 116:14) My vows to Jehovah will I pay—in the presence of all his people. The word now, in the common version, misleads the English reader, who can scarcely fail to understand it as an adverb of time, meaning at present, immediately, without delay, whereas it is the particle of entreaty used in Psa 115:2, and here employed to modify the bold avowal of a purpose, by making it dependent on divine permission. As if he had said : my vows to Jehovah I will pay—let me do it in the presence (I entreat) of all his people. The same meaning is attached by some to the augmented or paragogic form of the word translated presence, and which strictly means the front or forepart. Both these peculiarities are reckoned among the indications of a later age of Hebrew composition.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.] He was probably now bringing his offering to the temple. These words are repeated, Ps 116:18.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14 I will pay my vows unto Jehovah The steadfastness of his piety shines forth in this, that, in the midst of his dangers, he had vowed unto God. And now he proves that he by no means forgot these engagements, as most men do, who, when the hand of God lies heavy upon them, implore his help for a short time, but soon bury in oblivion the deliverance which they have received. The Holy Spirit, speaking of the true worship of God, very properly connects, by an indissoluble bond, these two parts of worship, “Call upon me in the day of trouble;” and, “after thy deliverance glorify me,” Psalm 50:15. If any regard it as an absurdity for the faithful to enter into covenant with God by making vows to him, to procure his approbation, my reply is, that they do not promise the sacrifice of praise, to soothe him by their flatteries, as if he were a mortal like themselves, or to bind him to them by proposing some reward, for David had previously protested that he would not offer any recompense. The design, then, and the use of vows is, first, That the children of God may have their hearts strengthened with the confidence of obtaining whatever they ask; and, secondly, That they may be stimulated the more to offer up their tribute of gratitude to God for his mercies. To aid the children of God in their infirmity, the privilege of vowing may surely be conceded to them, for by this means their most merciful Father condescends to allow them to enter into familiar converse with him, provided they make their vows for the object I have stated. Happen what may, nothing must be attempted without his permission. And hence the Papists appear the more ridiculous, who, under pretext of what is advanced in this place, defend all sorts of vows, however foolish and absurd and rashly made; as if drunkenness were lawful, because God permits us to eat.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

14. This verse which is repeated as Psa_116:18 is omitted in the best MSS of the LXX, and may have been inserted here by mistake. Its omission would make the stanza Psa_116:10-13 agree in length with the corresponding stanza Psa_116:1-4; still, the repeated resolution of thanksgiving is not out of place.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

O Lord, truly I am thy servant, I am thy servant,.... Not merely by creation, and as obliged by providential favours; but by the grace of God, which made him a willing one: and he was so, not nominally only, but in reality; not as those who say Lord, Lord, but do not the will of God; whereas he served the Lord cheerfully and willingly, in righteousness and true holiness: and this he repeats for the confirmation of it, and to show his heartiness in the Lord's service, and his zealous attachment to him; and which he mentions, not as though he thought his service meritorious of anything at the hand of God; but that his being in this character was an obligation upon him to serve the Lord, and him only, and might expect his protection in it;

and the son of thy handmaid; his mother was also a servant of the Lord; and had trained him up in his infancy in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; so that he was inured to it early, and could not easily depart from it;

thou hast loosed my bonds; the bonds of affliction and death in which he was held; these were loosed, being delivered from them, Psa 116:3; and the bonds of sin, and Satan, and the law, in whose service he had been, which was no other than a bondage; but now was freed from the servitude and dominion of sin, from the captivity of Satan, and the bondage of the law; and therefore, though a servant, yet the Lord's free man.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

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

(a) They are right and proper;

(b) they are made in most solemn circumstances;

(c) they are usually sincere;

(d) they are of the nature of a covenant with God;

(e) 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;

(f) the subsequent life would be happier and better if they were faithfully carried out.

Compare Psa 22:25, note; Psa 66:13-14, notes.

In the presence of all his people - Publicly. The vows were made in private; on the sick bed; 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 Isa 38:20. Indeed, nothing is more proper than public thanks for a 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.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

My vows; the praises and sacrifices which I vowed to God in the time of my distress.

In the presence of all his people; that they who heard my vows, or understood them by the report of others, might be witnesses of my payment of them, and not be scandalized by my unfaithfulness in that matter.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. The Psalmist has already stated his third resolution, to devote himself to the worship of God evermore, and here he commences the performance of that resolve. The vows which he had made in anguish, he now determines to fulfil:

"I will pay my vows unto the Lord." He does so at once, "now, "and that publicly, "in the presence of all his people." Good resolutions cannot be carried out too speedily; vows become debts, and debts should be paid. It is well to have witnesses to the payment of just debts, and we need not be ashamed to have witnesses to the fulfilling of holy vows, for this will show that we are not ashamed of our Lord, and it may be a great benefit to those who look on and hear us publicly sounding forth the praises of our prayer hearing God. How can those do this who have never with their mouth confessed their Saviour? O secret disciples, what say you to this verse! Be encouraged to come into the light and own your Redeemer. If, indeed, you have been saved, come forward and declare it in his own appointed way.

Ver. 14. A man that would have his credit as to the truth of his word kept up, would choose those to be witnesses of his performing who were witnesses of his promising. I think David took this heed in his rendering and paying his vows: "I will do it, "saith he, "now in the presence of all his people." The people were witnesses to his straits, prayers, and vows; and he will honour religion by performing in their sight what he sealed, signed, and delivered as his vow to the Lord. Seek not more witnesses than providence makes conscious of thy vows, lest this be interpreted ostentation and vain self glorying: take so many, lest the good example be lost, or thou suspected of falsifying thy vow.

Briefly and plainly: Didst thou on a sick bed make thy vow before thy family, and before the neighbourhood? Be careful to perform it before them; let them see thou art what thou vowedst to be. This care in thy vow will be a means to make it most to the advantage of religion, whilst all that heard or knew thy vow bear thee testimony that thou art thankful, and thus thou givest others occasion to glorify thy Father who is in heaven. Henry Hurst (1690) in "The Morning Exercises."

Ver. 14. I will pay my vows, etc. Foxe, in his Acts and Monuments, relates the following concerning the martyr, John Philpot: "He went with the sheriffs to the place of execution; and when he was entering into Smithfield the way was foul, and two officers took him up to bear him to the stake. Then he said merrily, What, will ye make me a pope? I am content to go to my journey's end on foot. But first coming into Smithfield, he kneeled down there, saying these words, I will pay my vows in thee, O Smithfield."

Ver. 14. Vow. Or the excellence of time present.

Psalms 116:15*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. In the presence of all his people—The occasion was one of public sacrifice: see Psa_116:13, and introductory note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people (comp. vers. 18, 19, where the thought is repeated, and lengthened out). We are not told in Isaiah or 2 Kings that Hezekiah made any vows when he lay on his sick bed, but he may probably have done so. He certainly intended, as soon as his cure was complete, to "go up to the house of the Lord". (2Ki_20:8 Isa_38:22)

Vow-making and vow-paying.

An important duty of Christian life is keeping ever fresh and vivid the memory of God"s saving mercies to us. Constantly throughout their history the Israelites were reminded of their deliverance from thee house of bondage, and of the vows and pledges involved in that deliverance. The effect of every quickened memory should be a new examination of our vows, that we may discover what of them we are failing to pay or to keep. God does expect a return from us for all his mercies towards us. That return is put in three forms.

I "I WILL TAKE THE CUP OF SALVATION." It honors God for us cheerfully to accept the blessings which he sends. It may be proper to refuse gifts offered by our fellow-men. It is never a true and worthy humility that hesitates to act upon God"s promises or to accept what God offers. And yet that we find beginners in the Christian life, and even experienced Christians, often do, especially when what God provides is not just "according to their mind." Note also how the very freeness of God"s gifts makes them unacceptable to human pride. We like to have things on our conditions, and at our price.

II "I WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD." That is, in the spirit and act of thankfulness. Thankfulness should be regarded

(1) as an important Christian obligation;

(2) as an enjoined Christian duty; and

(3) as a most real help to the brightness, the joyfulness, and the steadiness of the Christian life.

The utterance of thankfulness is a public testimony of our recognized and happy dependence on God. "I have set the Lord always before me.

III "I WILL PAY MY VOWS UNTO THE LORD." Give some account of Jewish vow-making in times of special thankfulness; as when recovering from a serious sickness.

1. Sincere and right-intentioned, vow-making is acceptable and pleasing to God.

2. The earnest endeavor at vow-paying is much more acceptable. Our resolves match the ancient vows; and our lives have witnessed many resolves made and few resolves carried out. Illust.; resolves in times of conversion, of success, of sickness, of trouble, of rescue from peril. Try to think what unpaid vows or resolves of yours God has on his record. Vow, but be sure to "pay your vows unto the Lord. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

in the presence of all His people Heb. נגדה, in the presence of (נגד) all His people.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.