Matthew 20:25 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

The princes of the Gentiles— Of the nations around. For God had prescribed to the children of Israel a just and equitable form of government. See Deuteronomy 17:14., to the end. The word rendered, have dominion over them, Κατακυριευουσιν, signifies sometimes to use an immoderate and arbitrary power. See Mark 10:42. It imports the abuse of royal authority (see 1 Samuel 8:11., &c.) which God sometimes is pleased to permit for the punishment of men's iniquities. Jesus, solicitous to cure that pride, which made some of his disciples ambitious, and others jealous, called them unto him, and told them that his kingdom was not, as they imagined, of the same nature with the kingdoms of the world; and that the greatness of his disciples was not the greatness of secular princes, which consists in reigning over others with absolute and despotic sway. See Grotius, and Beausobre and Lenfant.