Isaiah 34:13

13 Thorns and thistles will grow up in all the palaces and walled towns, and jackals and owls will live in them.

Isaiah 34:13 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 34:13

And thorns shall come up in her palaces
Where their kings and princes dwelt, and kept their courts, popes and cardinals; here will be the tokens of God's curse, as thorns are, these being the people of his curse, as in ( Isaiah 34:5 ) : nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof;
alluding to "Bozrah" which signifies a fortress; referring to the towers and fortifications of the city of Rome, and all other fortified cities within its jurisdiction: and it shall be a habitation of dragons;
literally, as it figuratively had been the seat of the old dragon, the devil, and of the beast to whom the dragon gave his power, seat, and authority; and who, though he looked like a lamb, spoke like a dragon, ( Revelation 12:3 ) ( Revelation 13:2 Revelation 13:11 ) : [and] a court for owls;
or, "daughters of the owl"; or "ostriches", as some render it.

Isaiah 34:13 In-Context

11 Owls and ravens will take over the land. The Lord will make it a barren waste again, as it was before the creation.

12 There will be no king to rule the country, and the leaders will all be gone.

13 Thorns and thistles will grow up in all the palaces and walled towns, and jackals and owls will live in them.

14 Wild animals will roam there, and demons will call to each other. The night monster will come there looking for a place to rest.

15 Owls will build their nests, lay eggs, hatch their young, and care for them there. Vultures will gather there, one after another.