ישעיהו, פרק כ״ד, פסוק י׳

A harsh reality of urban ruin and exile leaves behind a haunting landscape of desolation. Once bustling centers of life are reduced to empty shells, their grand structures completely shattered. The urban environment, characterized by its physical buildings, walls, and roofs [מלבי״ם], is now defined by total emptiness and destruction [מצודת ציון, שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that a fallen city earns a reputation of emptiness based on its tragic end. Only after it is entirely broken and ruined does it transform into a wasteland, losing its former glory as a great metropolis [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, שד״ל]. However, [אבן עזרא] offers a different perspective, suggesting that this condition actually points to the root cause of the ruin. In this view, destruction falls upon any city whose people spent their lives chasing after vanity and emptiness, ultimately leading to their own downfall.

Amidst this devastation, the homes themselves become inaccessible. This does not necessarily mean every single house without exception is sealed, but rather the vast majority of them [רד״ק]. There are several ways to understand why these homes are shut off from entry. The prominent approach explains that the buildings are so thoroughly smashed and ruined that it is physically impossible or simply pointless to go inside, making them appear entirely closed off [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם].

Other perspectives focus on the human tragedy of war and exile rather than the physical wreckage. The homes may have been tightly locked by their owners in a state of sheer terror, desperately trying to keep out an invading enemy [שד״ל]. Alternatively, the closed doors represent total abandonment. Overwhelmed by sorrow and distress, the residents fled into the streets or were gathered to be taken away into exile in foreign lands, leaving their former homes firmly shut and completely devoid of human life [אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם].