Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church. There is no reason for supposing that as "the apostle and elders" represented the church members as a body, their decision was simply regarded as that of the people. The natural sense of the words suggests some positive assent on the part of "the whole church," so far as they were present, to the decision of the apostle and elders; and all the more if they took part in the discussion (see the note at Acts 15:12). To us it would seem that the active and open procedure of the meeting, after James had ceased speaking, was conducted by "the apostles and elders," but that on their unanimous decision being announced, and the church members generally being appealed to for their consent, they signified it in such a way that in recording the final decision the historian might naturally say, "it pleased the whole church," as well as "the apostles and elders," to do what follows:
To send chosen men of their own company - or, 'having chosen men from among themselves, to send them,
To Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; [namely] Judas surnamed Barsabas - not to be confounded with the apostle "Judas the brother of James" (Acts 1:13), surnamed Thaddeus (Matthew 10:3); nor is there any evidence that he was a brother of "Joseph called Barsabas" (Acts 1:23). Nothing is known of him beyond what is here said.
And Silas - the same as 'Silvanus,' in the Epistles. He became Paul's companion on his second missionary journey (Acts 15:40); and the affection which the apostle cherished toward him seems to have been as constant as it was warm.
Chief (or 'leading') men among the brethren - and as such purposely selected, in order to express the esteem in which they held the church at Antioch and their deputies now present; and-since the matter affected all Gentile converts-to give weight to the decision of this important assembly. We are told (in Acts 15:32) that they were "prophets;" and it was in this capacity probably that their eminence in the church at Jerusalem had been attained.