Total devastation transforms a once-bustling land into a permanent wasteland, returning it to a state of absolute chaos where wild nature takes full control. The human population is completely emptied out, replaced by creatures known to inhabit ruins and desolate spaces [מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. These wild animals do not merely pass through; they settle in the land permanently, taking possession of it just as a person claims a rightful inheritance [מצודת דוד, רד״ק].
Among the new inhabitants is a desert bird sometimes found in coastal cities, alongside a nocturnal owl whose very name reflects its active nighttime cries [רד״ק]. There is some disagreement regarding another creature that joins them. Some identify it as a bird that flies at night [רש״י], while others suggest it is a reptile or rodent, such as a turtle or hedgehog [רד״ק]. Its name itself carries the meaning of a final cutting off and an ultimate end [אבן עזרא]. The way these animals occupy the ruined land varies based on their nature. The true desert dwellers claim the area as their permanent domain. In contrast, the owls and ravens, which occasionally venture into human settlements, only stay in the ruins temporarily, without establishing a permanent hold [מלבי״ם].
The scale of this destruction is captured through an ironic use of construction imagery. A builder's measuring rope and lead leveling weights are brought to the site. However, the primary approach among commentators is that God uses these building tools for the exact opposite of construction. He uses them to meticulously measure and plan the absolute desolation of the land, turning them into instruments of strict judgment and ruin [רש״י, רד״ק, שד״ל, אבן עזרא, מצודות].
The resulting state of chaos and emptiness signifies a complete void [מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא]. This ruin can be understood through a precise breakdown of the builder's tools. The measuring rope represents the loss of external order, beauty, and form, while the heavy stones reflect the total collapse of the land's internal, structural strength [מלבי״ם]. A unique perspective even suggests that the wild animals themselves act as the "builders" founding this new territory, where their measurements and foundation stones are forged entirely out of ruin and emptiness [מלבי״ם].