Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 34:13

"And thorns shall come up in its palaces, nettles and thistles in the fortresses thereof; and it shall be a habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches." — Isaiah 34:13 (ASV)

And thorns ... - (see the note at Isaiah 5:6)

It shall be a habitation of dragons - On the meaning of the word ‘dragons,’ see the note at Isaiah 13:22.

Court for owls - A place of resort, a residence of owls. The word rendered ‘court’ (חציר châtsîyr) means a dwelling-place, a habitation, as well as an enclosure or court. The margin is, ‘Daughters of the owl,’ or ‘ostriches’ (see the note at Isaiah 13:21).

Stephens, reflecting on this passage of Isaiah while standing amidst the ruins of Petra, the capital of Idumea (see the note at Isaiah 16:1), says: ‘I wish that the skeptic could stand as I did, among the ruins of this city among the rocks. There, let him open the sacred book and read the words of the inspired penman, written when this desolate place was one of the greatest cities in the world. I see the scoff arrested, his cheek pale, his lip quivering, and his heart quaking with fear, as the ancient city cries out to him in a voice loud and powerful as one risen from the dead. Though he would not believe Moses and the prophets, he believes the handwriting of God himself, in the desolation and eternal ruin around him.’ (Incidents of Travel in Egypt, etc., vol. ii. p. 76.)