ירמיהו, פרק נ״א, פסוק ל״ז

Babylon, once renowned as a beautiful place and the joy of the earth [אברבנאל], is destined to become an absolute wasteland. A vivid picture of destruction unfolds as a bustling, lively city is entirely emptied of its people and transformed into a desolate ruin. The towering structures of the city will collapse into heaps of dirt and rubble, as the fallen walls of once-great buildings are reduced to mere piles of stone. In the absence of human life, the area will become a permanent home for jackals and other wild creatures that naturally seek out abandoned spaces.

The sheer scale of this devastation will evoke a powerful reaction. The primary approach among commentators is that the scene will strike onlookers with profound astonishment and disbelief, though some interpret this aspect of the prophecy simply as a description of the physical desolation itself [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. As people pass by and witness the loss of such a significant place, they will instinctively purse their lips and whistle in amazement [מצודת ציון]. It is precisely this stark reality of a once-great city left completely empty of human inhabitants that drives the shock of those who observe it [מצודת דוד]. Alternatively, this whistling sound may not come from human passersby at all, but rather from the calls of the wild creatures that have now taken over the ruins [ביאור שטיינזלץ].