And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.

People's New Testament

15:40 Paul chose Silas as his fellow laborer. He seems to have returned from Jerusalem.

Being recommended... unto the grace of God. Evidently a meeting of the church was held to commend them to God.

Wesley's Notes

15:40 But Paul departed - Held on his intended course: being recommended by the brethren to the grace of God - We do not find that Barnabas stayed for this. O how mighty is the grace of God! which in the midst of the world, in the midst of sin, among so many snares of Satan, and in spite of the incredible weakness and depravity of nature, yet overcomes all opposition, sanctifies, sustains, and preserves us to the end! It appears not only that Paul and Barnabas were afterward thoroughly reconciled, 1Cor 9:6; Gal 2:9; but also that John was again admitted by St. Paul as a companion in his labours, Col 4:10; Phm 1:24; 2Tim 4:11.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

40. and departed, being recommended . to the grace of God-(No doubt by some solemn service; see Ac 13:3), as in Ac 14:26. It does not follow from the historian's silence that Barnabas was not so recommended, too; for this is the last mention of Barnabas in the history, whose sole object now is to relate the proceedings of Paul. Nor does it seem quite fair (with De Wette, Meyer, Howson, Alford, Hacket, Webster and Wilkinson, &c.) to conclude from this that the Church at Antioch took that marked way of showing their sympathy with Paul in opposition to Barnabas.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

15:36-41 Here we have a private quarrel between two ministers, no less than Paul and Barnabas, yet made to end well. Barnabas wished his nephew John Mark to go with them. We should suspect ourselves of being partial, and guard against this in putting our relations forward. Paul did not think him worthy of the honour, nor fit for the service, who had departed from them without their knowledge, or without their consent: see ch.