That their land might be given up to desolation, and to a perpetual hissing: every one that shall pass by it, shall be astonished, and wag his head.
לָשׂ֥וּם אַרְצָ֛ם לְשַׁמָּ֖ה שרוקת שְׁרִיק֣וֹת עוֹלָ֑ם כֹּ֚ל עוֹבֵ֣ר עָלֶ֔יהָ יִשֹּׁ֖ם וְיָנִ֥יד בְּרֹאשֽׁוֹ׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
In the eternal perspective, all who pass by will observe and shake their heads. This was truly the experience of those who traversed such a barren and challenging path, eliciting responses of disapproval. In times of significant calamity, we often communicate our grief not through speech, but through gestures of whistling and shaking our heads.
Their land will be transformed into a desolate place and a perpetual source of derision, causing all who pass by to gaze in amazement and shake their heads. This is due to their abandonment of God's service and their wandering in the twisted paths of idolatry. As a result, their once vibrant land has become a barren wasteland, a marvel of desolation, where those who witness the former splendor of the land and city reduced to ashes will be filled with astonishment and bewilderment, leading to an inward turmoil reflected in their physical responses, for shaking one's head signifies a silent expression of profound amazement.
It is believed that this prophecy found its ultimate realization with the arrival of the Lord, as the Jewish people are barred by law from entering the sacred land and city. When they come to weep, they are struck with awe at the fulfillment of the prophets' predictions that have come to pass.
Eze brought ruin to their land, marking it with enduring evil. Those who once beheld the city in its glory and then witnessed its devastation would whistle, expressing their sorrow over its misfortune.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS