Psalm 102:26-27
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
While we often think of God's enduring nature against fleeting human life, this verse points to His radical power over creation itself. God doesn't just outlast the universe; He actively changes it, discarding the old like worn-out clothes to make way for what's next. This means the current "forever" we see around us is actually temporary in God's grand, unfolding plan.
They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist is reflecting on his own suffering and the seeming permanence of his troubles, which prompts him to contrast this with God's eternal nature. This verse then expands that thought, emphasizing that the entire created order, even the enduring heavens and earth, will ultimately fade and be replaced, unlike the unchanging God.
Have you ever felt like everything around you is constantly changing, wearing out, or falling apart? This verse speaks to that feeling, but then points to something that never changes.
The Absolute Original
This verse throws a stark contrast at us: created things perish, but God endures. Everything we see – the stars, the mountains, even our own bodies – has a beginning and an end. They are not necessary in themselves; their existence is a gift from God, preserved by His ongoing power.
God's Self-Existence
Only God is eternal a parte ante (before all time) and a parte post (after all time). His duration is absolute and inherent. Unlike creation, which could have not existed and will cease to exist in its current form, God's existence is necessary. He is. His will and energy alone sustain the universe and prevent it from immediately dissolving into chaos.
Imagine your favorite comfy sweater – it’s great, but eventually, it gets worn out. The Bible uses this everyday image to describe the entire universe.
The Fading Fabric of Reality
The psalmist uses powerful imagery: creation wears out 'like a garment.' This isn't just about individual things decaying, but the entire created order. The 'heavens and the earth,' which seem so permanent to us, are seen by God as temporary. They have a lifespan and will eventually be retired.
Ask a follow-up
God's Intentional Change
And God doesn't just let them fade; He 'will change them like a robe.' This suggests a deliberate, active process. Think of changing clothes – an old, worn-out outfit is replaced with a fresh one. This points towards God's plan for renewal, not just destruction. The current 'garment' of creation will be set aside, folded up, and replaced by something new, fulfilling His ultimate purposes.
Understand the original words
’āḇaḏ · Hebrew Verb
The state of being destroyed, ending, or ceasing to exist; often used in Scripture to contrast the temporary nature of creation with the eternal nature of God.
‘āmaḏ · Hebrew Verb
A state of permanent existence, having no beginning and no end; a unique attribute of God who exists outside of time.
ḥālap̄ · Hebrew Verb
The act of being physically transformed or replaced, emphasizing God’s sovereign control over the created order and His ability to renew it.
hū’ · Hebrew Pronoun
A theological description of God's immutability—His unchanging nature, character, and faithfulness regardless of the passing of time or the flux of creation.
This passage directly echoes the imagery of Psalm 102:26, stating that the heavens will vanish and the earth wear out like a garment, emphasizing their impermanence compared to God's enduring nature.
Hebrews 1:10-12The New Testament author quotes Psalm 102:26 to highlight the unchanging, eternal nature of the Son of God, contrasting it with the created heavens and earth that will eventually grow old and pass away like a robe.
2 Peter 3:7This verse connects the perishable nature of the current heavens and earth, likening them to something that will pass away, with their eventual destruction by fire, reinforcing the theme of transience found in Psalm 102:26.
Isaiah 65:17Speaking of a future restoration, this prophecy contrasts the 'former heavens and former earth' that will not be remembered with a new creation, aligning with the concept in Psalm 102:26 that the present order will be replaced.
Revelation 21:1This passage describes the vision of a new heaven and a new earth, directly fulfilling the implication in Psalm 102:26 that the current creation, which wears out like a garment, will be fundamentally changed or replaced.
pulpitPsalms 102:26: "They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:"
Verse 26. - They shall perish. The coming destruction of the world that now is, is very frequently declared in Holy Scripture (see Isaiah 51:6; Isaiah 65:17; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33; 2 Peter 3:7, 10, 12). But thou shalt endure. With the perishable nature of the whole material creation, the psalmist contrasts the a…
clarkePsalms 102:26: "They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:"
They shall perish - Nothing can be eternal a parte ante, or a parte post, but thyself. Even that which thou hast created, because not necessarily eternal, must be perishable; necessary duration belongs to God only; and it is by his will and energy alone that universal nature is preserved in existence, and preserved from running…
While we often think of God's enduring nature against fleeting human life, this verse points to His radical power over creation itself. God doesn't just outlast the universe; He actively changes it, discarding the old like worn-out clothes to make way for what's next. This means the current "forever" we see around us is actually temporary in God's grand, unfolding plan.
The psalmist is reflecting on his own suffering and the seeming permanence of his troubles, which prompts him to contrast this with God's eternal nature. This verse then expands that thought, emphasizing that the entire created order, even the enduring heavens and earth, will ultimately fade and be replaced, unlike the unchanging God.
The psalmist is reflecting on his own suffering and the seeming permanence of his troubles, which prompts him to contrast this with God's eternal nature. This verse then expands that thought, emphasizing that the entire created order, even the enduring heavens and earth, will ultimately fade and be replaced, unlike the unchanging God.
"They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end." — While we often think of God's enduring nature against fleeting human life, this verse points to His radical power over creation itself. God doesn't just outlast the universe; He actively changes it…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
