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For, behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to you.
Psalms 73:27 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
  • BSB Those far from You will surely perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.
  • ESV For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
  • NKJV For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
  • NASB For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
  • NLT Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Those far from God will perish, for he destroys all who are unfaithful to him.

Overview

Asaph states the sober counterpart to his hope: distance from God ends in destruction. Unfaithfulness, pictured as spiritual adultery, leads to ruin. This solemn warning underscores that true life is found only in nearness to God, a nearness reconciled and restored through Christ (Ephesians 2:13).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Jas 4:4You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
  • Ps 119:155Salvation is far from the wicked, for they don’t seek your statutes.
  • Exod 34:15“Don’t make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice;
  • Num 15:39and it shall be to you for a fringe, that you may look on it, and remember all Yahweh’s commandments, and do them; and that you not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you use to play the prostitute;
  • Rev 17:1–5One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
  • Ps 106:39Thus were they defiled with their works, and prostituted themselves in their deeds.
  • Isa 29:13The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught;
  • Job 21:14–15They tell God, ‘Depart from us, for we don’t want to know about your ways.
  • Eph 2:17He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near.
  • Eph 2:13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.
  • Jer 12:2You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they produce fruit. You are near in their mouth, and far from their heart.
  • Matt 15:7–8You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 73:27YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 73:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.