A common misinterpretation takes Paul's dramatic phrasing literally, portraying him as admitting to theft or unethical exploitation of other churches, which ignores the rhetorical hyperbole common in ancient writing and the broader context of 2 Corinthians 11 where he defends his genuine apostleship against false teachers; others might wrongly apply it to justify manipulative fundraising in modern ministry, overlooking Paul's intent to highlight voluntary support and his refusal to be a financial load on the Corinthians.
II Corinthians 11:8
King James Version (1769)
8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.
In this passage, Paul employs hyperbolic language to describe how he supported his ministry among the Corinthians by accepting financial aid from other churches, referring to it as 'robbing' them to emphasize his unwavering commitment to serving the Corinthians without burdening them financially; this underscores his integrity, sacrificial service, and principle of self-support in ministry when possible, defending his apostleship against critics who accused him of exploiting churches for personal gain.