What does "perish" in Psalm 73:27 imply about rejecting God?

Psalm 73:27 in its own words

“Those far from You will perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.”

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What “perish” conveys here

• Complete ruin—no escape, no second chance

• Personal intervention—“You destroy”; it is God Himself who executes judgment

• Final separation from God’s presence, blessings, and life

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Layers of meaning behind the word

- Physical death: life on earth ends under God’s displeasure

- Spiritual death: ongoing alienation from God, described elsewhere as “outer darkness” (Matthew 25:41,46)

- Eternal death: everlasting conscious punishment, “eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

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How Scripture consistently uses “perish”

• John 3:16—those who believe “shall not perish” (same Greek verb, apollumi)

• 2 Peter 3:9—God is patient, “not wanting anyone to perish”

• Luke 13:3—“Unless you repent, you too will all perish”

• Proverbs 29:18—without revelation people “cast off restraint,” heading toward perishing

• Psalm 1:6—“the way of the wicked will perish,” echoing the same certainty of ruin

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Why rejecting God leads to this outcome

- God is the sole source of life (Psalm 36:9); distancing oneself from Him is distancing from life itself

- Unfaithfulness violates His covenant love (Hosea 6:6–7) and demands justice

- Holiness cannot coexist with rebellion; thus “far from You” inevitably ends in destruction

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Practical takeaways

• “Nearness to God is my good” (Psalm 73:28)—the only safe place is relationship with Him

• Perishing is not annihilation but everlasting loss; it underscores the urgency of faith in Christ (John 3:36)

• God’s warning is gracious: He tells the truth so we can still choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Rejecting God is rejecting life; Psalm 73:27 declares the sober, literal consequence—perishing under His righteous judgment, both now and forever.