Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Corinthians 11:8

"I robbed other churches, taking wages [of them] that I might minister unto you;" — 2 Corinthians 11:8 (ASV)

I robbed other churches, taking wages of them.—The word for wages—strictly rations, or wages in kind, rather than in money—is found in Luke 3:14; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 9:7. Its use in the last-named passage had, perhaps, given occasion for a sneer. “He too can take wages when it suits his purpose.” From St. Paul’s point of view, if what he had received had been wages at all, he had been guilty of an act of spoliation. He had received wages from one employer while he was acting in the service of another.