But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.

ISAIAH 13:21KJV
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Isaiah 13:21 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 13:21 mean?

Isaiah 13:21 describes a scene where the once-inhabited city will be left deserted, filled only with wild desert animals, mournful creatures, owls, and satyrs dancing among the ruins. The verse paints a vivid picture of total abandonment and desolation, showing that the place will be overtaken by nature and strange, unclean animals.

Isaiah is speaking a prophecy from God about the future destruction of Babylon, warning that its great cities will become so empty and ruined that only wild animals and eerie beings will live there. The language is meant to show just how complete the devastation will be, using the image of animals and supernatural creatures to highlight the reversal from a bustling city to a haunted wasteland.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 13:21

  • "desert" (צִיִּים, tsiyyim): This word refers to wild desert creatures or animals that dwell in wastelands, emphasizing the idea of a place abandoned by humans and reclaimed by the wild.
  • "satyrs" (שְׂעִירִים, se'irim): This term is often understood as referring to goat-like or hairy creatures, sometimes linked to folklore about demons or spirits of the wilderness. Its use here adds a sense of eerie, supernatural desolation beyond just wild animals.
  • "doleful creatures" (אֹחִים, ochim): This word is less clear, but is often translated as "howling creatures" or "jackals," suggesting animals whose cries add to the mournful, unsettling atmosphere of the ruined city.
  • "owls" (בְּנוֹת יַעֲנָה, benot ya'anah): Literally "daughters of the owl" or "ostriches," this phrase refers to birds associated with desolate places, reinforcing the theme of abandonment.

Why Isaiah 13:21 matters

  • Isaiah 13:21 clarifies that the judgment on Babylon is not just military defeat but a total, lasting desolation where human life will not return, and only wild and supernatural beings will inhabit the ruins.
  • The verse uses vivid, even unsettling imagery to make the warning memorable and to show the seriousness of the prophecy, moving beyond ordinary destruction to a haunting reversal of civilization.
  • Understanding the original Hebrew words helps reveal that Isaiah is not just listing animals, but deliberately choosing creatures that ancient listeners would associate with cursed, unclean, or haunted places, deepening the sense of warning and loss.

Where else these words appear

“desert” Hebrew H6728 · used in 6 verses

  • Psalms 72:9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
  • Psalms 74:14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
  • Isaiah 34:14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

“owls” Hebrew H3284 · used in 8 verses

  • Leviticus 11:16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
  • Job 30:29 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
  • Isaiah 43:20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

“dance” Hebrew H7540 · used in 9 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 15:29 And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.
  • Psalms 29:6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
  • Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

“lie” Hebrew H7257 · used in 30 verses

  • Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
  • Deuteronomy 33:13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
  • Isaiah 27:10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.