John Calvin Commentary Acts 21:18

"And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present." — Acts 21:18 (ASV)

All the elders were present. We can gather from this passage what we already observed in the fifteenth chapter. Whenever any weighty business was to be handled, the elders were accustomed to gather, so that their consultation might be quieter without the crowd. We will soon see that the people were also admitted in their turn, but only after the elders had held their private consultation among themselves.