Mat 20:25 You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

This continues Christ's explanation of how authority in his kingdom is different than earthly authority. Christ always talks about "gentiles," when referring to the secular government, that is, Roman rule. This is different than "society," which he refers to as the Jewish population and its leaders. Christ draws a distinction between physical power of the state and the power of social pressure. Both are forces that we must resist but we deal with them in different ways.

Here, Christ defines what the power of the state is based on: physical coercion. The state has physical control over its subjects. But Christ recognizes that this power is separate from the emotion power of relationships, such as, in the negative sense, social pressure. It is also separate from mental power, what we are free to think, and spiritual power, what we choose to believe.

"Princes" is from archôn, which means "ruler," "commander," and "chief magistrate."

"Dominion" is from katakurieuô, which means "to gain or exercise complete dominion." This carries the sense of ownership and control.

"Exercise authority" is from katexousiazô, which means "to have power," "to exercise power," and "to be the master of a body."