Summary
We find Martin reads Jonah as a searching call to repent, rejoice in sovereign mercy, and abandon our small resentments before the Lord’s compassion. It is an older work, yet it repeatedly drives us back to Scripture, and it refuses to let us treat the passage as a set of religious slogans.
Because it is written for spiritual profit, it often pauses to press truth onto conscience, worship, and daily obedience. That makes it a helpful companion when we want our preaching to be both substantial and searching.
Why Should I Own This Commentary?
We should own this commentary when we want the kind of slow, text shaped reasoning that strengthens preaching over years, not just weeks. It is not built around modern debate, but around the steady labour of opening the passage and applying it to the heart.
We also benefit from its theological weight. It helps us see how doctrine lives in the text, and how the text trains the church to trust Christ, repent of sin, and endure with hope.
Closing Recommendation
We recommend this as a strong choice for pastors and serious readers who want historic Reformed exposition that feeds proclamation. It works best when we read it alongside our own close work in the passage, letting it sharpen our judgment and deepen our pastoral instincts.
As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.
Hugh Martin
Hugh Martin (1822 to 1885) was a Scottish Free Church minister of the nineteenth century, writing within the Reformed tradition with a deep love for Christ and a careful, reverent doctrinal mind.
Martin served as a pastor and public theologian in the era of the Disruption, and his writing ranges from biblical exposition to sustained reflection on the atonement and the glory of the cross. He sought to strengthen the church by setting the person and work of Christ before believers with clarity and spiritual weight.
He continues to be treasured because he combines intellectual precision with warm devotion. He helps us preach the gospel with gravity and tenderness, and he keeps theology tied to worship and repentance. Recommended titles include The Atonement, The Shadow of Calvary, and The Prophet Jonah.
Theological Perspective: Reformed