The Greek ekdapanaō means to spend completely or exhaust. Paul uses it only in 2 Corinthians 12:15: 'So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well (ekdapanēthēsomai). If I love you more, will you love me less?' The word carries the image of total depletion — spending not just money but one's very life-energy for others.
Paul's ekdapanaō in 2 Corinthians 12:15 is the language of radical pastoral self-gift. He is defending his apostleship against the 'super-apostles' (2 Corinthians 11:5) who took money from the Corinthians while Paul refused. His point: 'I ask for nothing; I give everything.' The verb ekdapanaō (to be completely spent) echoes Jesus' own self-giving — 'the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many' (Mark 10:45). The pastor who exhausts himself for the flock is most like the Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep.