Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
Shall the prey - Israel, long a prey to mighty Gentile nations, whose oppression of her shall reach its highest point under Antichrist (Daniel 11:36-37; Daniel 11:41; Daniel 11:45).
Be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered - i:e., be delivered; the Jews justly consigned for their sins (Isaiah 1:1) as captives the foe. Secondarily, Satan and Death are "the mighty" conquerors of man, upon whom his sin gives them their "lawful" claim. Christ, the Go'el, or Redeemer, answers that claim for the sinners, and so the captive is set free (Job 19:25; Job 14:14; Matthew 12:29; Hosea 6:2, where Isaiah 49:4 and Isaiah 5:14-15 show the primary reference is to Israel's restoration, to which the resurrection corresponds; Isaiah 26:19; Ephesians 4:8; Hebrews 2:14-15). Maurer, not so well, translates, 'the captives taken from among the just (i:e., the godly Israelites) - literally, as margin, the captivity of the just.