ירמיהו, פרק נ״א, פסוק מ״ג

The total collapse of the Babylonian empire leaves behind a landscape of absolute ruin. Instead of a thriving center of power, the area is reduced to nothing more than an abandoned archaeological site [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators highlights the sheer intensity of this emptiness. The once-great cities are transformed into a complete wasteland. The entire region becomes a dry, ruined landscape, taking on the harsh and empty characteristics of a desert [רד״ק, מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד].

This desolation is entirely absolute. The sweeping destruction ensures that the cities are left without a single permanent resident [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The isolation goes even further than a lack of inhabitants. The area becomes so completely cut off from the rest of the world that even casual travelers avoid crossing through it. The land is severed from any human contact, stripped of even the most temporary or passing human presence [מצודת דוד].