ישעיהו, פרק י״ג, פסוק כ״א

A vivid picture of total destruction emerges through an ironic contrast to a bustling, inhabited city. Instead of domesticated animals resting in fields, people living in homes, birds nesting in trees, and children playing in the streets, the area is completely conquered by wild beasts and desert creatures [מלבי״ם].

Where gentle farm animals would typically rest, the ruins are occupied by untamable beasts of the wasteland [מלבי״ם]. The primary approach among commentators is that these are animals native to dry, desolate regions [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ], though some specifically identify them as mongooses or desert cats [רש״י, שד״ל].

The destroyed houses do not remain empty. They are filled with creatures whose exact identity is debated. They are thought to be nocturnal birds [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ], tailed monkeys [מלבי״ם], or mongooses [שד״ל]. Some describe them as bizarre beasts that cause anyone who sees them to be struck with terror or wonder [אבן עזרא]. While uncertain of the exact species, [רש״י] suggests they are animals associated with thorns and thistles.

In places where typical birds might dwell, ostriches settle, as it is their nature to live in ruined places [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם]. Adding a sorrowful detail to the landscape, [רד״ק] explains that these are abandoned ostrich chicks, left behind in the desert by their mothers to mourn their lack of food.

Finally, taking the place of children playing in the streets, strange figures jump and skip through the rubble [מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם]. The primary approach among commentators identifies these leaping figures as demons, which appear as hairy goats to those who believe in them [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת ציון]. However, others offer natural explanations, suggesting they are birds of prey [ביאור שטיינזלץ], wild goats [אבן עזרא], or a species of hairy monkey that closely resembles humans and was mistakenly feared as a demonic spirit [שד״ל].