The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.
Cities of the south - namely, south of Judea; farthest off from the enemy, who advanced from the north.
Shut up - i:e., deserted (Isaiah 24:10), so that none shall he left to open the gates to travelers and merchants again (Henderson). Rather, shut up so closely by Nebuchadnezzar's forces, sent on before (2 Kings 24:10-11), that none shall be allowed by the enemy to get out (cf. Jeremiah 13:20, "them from the North," i:e., the Babylonians").
Wholly - literally, fully, completely.