What is the meaning of Psalm 73:27?

Those far from You

• The phrase points to spiritual distance created by sin, not geography. Isaiah 59:2 explains, “your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God.”

• Asaph is contrasting himself—who has just declared “it is good to be near God” (Psalm 73:28)—with people who prefer independence over intimacy with the Lord.

• In Christ, separation is not inevitable: “you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Yet the choice to stay distant remains a solemn reality (James 4:8).

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Will surely perish

• “Surely” underscores certainty, not mere possibility. God’s moral universe is ordered; rebellion has a fixed outcome (Romans 6:23).

• This perishing is ultimate loss—eternal, conscious separation from God (John 3:36; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

• The warning is gracious: it calls the distant back before the irreversible happens.

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You destroy

• God is not passive toward evil; He is Judge (Hebrews 10:30-31).

• His authority to “destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28) flows from His holiness and love; to let wickedness stand unchecked would deny His character.

• Destruction here is not annihilation of existence but the removal of every blessing and fellowship with God (Deuteronomy 32:39).

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All who are unfaithful to You

• “Unfaithful” pictures covenant betrayal, like a spouse turning away (Jeremiah 3:20).

• Whether Israel in Asaph’s day or any person now, unfaithfulness covers:

– Rejecting God’s truth (Hosea 4:1)

– Clinging to idols of heart or culture (Revelation 21:8)

• The breadth of “all” leaves no loopholes; the only refuge is repentance and trust in the finished work of Christ.

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summary

Psalm 73:27 delivers a sober, loving alert: remain distant and unfaithful, and certain ruin follows; draw near through faith and loyal obedience, and God Himself becomes your everlasting good.