What does Psalm 73:3 mean?

Asaph explains why he had almost made shipwreck of the faith (Psalm 73:2; 1 Timothy 1:19). He envied those who seemed to be evil, yet successful, and proud of both. Perhaps this was a specific person, or just godless people in general. It made no sense to Asaph that vile people had more possessions and seemed exempt from trouble (Psalm 73:4–5).

We know nothing about Asaph's economic situation. It's likely he had little money nor much in the way of possessions. As a Levite, he did not own any property. Whereas the other tribes of Israel had inherited land in Canaan, the Levites had none. Their inheritance was the Lord (Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:9).

Envy, also labelled as jealousy or covetousness, is condemned in Scripture. In Galatians 5:21 envy is listed as a result of our sinful nature, along with such evils as sexual immorality, idolatry, and so forth. First Peter 2:1 urges believers to put away envy. Instead of envying others because of their prosperity, believers are encouraged to be content with what they have because the Lord has promised to be with us at all times (Hebrews 13:5).