κατεξ-ουσιάζω G2715
to exercise authority over, to lord it over someone
This compound verb (from κατά + ἐξουσιάζω) appears in Jesus' teaching about leadership in both Matthew and Mark's Gospels. It describes the way Gentile rulers exercise dominion over their subjects—a kind of 'lording over' that Jesus explicitly contrasts with the servant leadership He expects of His disciples. The term carries an implicit negative connotation of oppressive or domineering authority. All four target languages maintain the core sense of exercising or wielding authority, with German's 'Gewalt ausüben' emphasizing the forceful aspect.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Both occurrences (Matt 20:25, Mark 10:42) appear in the same teaching episode where Jesus warns against Gentile-style domineering leadership. The multilingual glosses consistently render the sense of exercising authority, with subtle variations: Spanish focuses on the action ('ejercen autoridad sobre'), French on the verbal action ('exercer l'autorité'), and German on wielding power ('Gewalt ausüben'). The context makes clear this is not neutral authority but oppressive rule. 2×
AR["يَتَسَلَّطُونَ-عَلَيْهِمْ", "يَستَبِدّونَ"]·ben["কর্তৃত্ব-করে", "ক্ষমতা-চালায়"]·DE["Gewalt-ausueben", "κατεξουσιάζουσιν"]·EN["exercise-authority-over"]·FR["exercer-l'autorité"]·heb["מִתְשַׁלְּטִים", "רוֹדִים"]·HI["अधिकार-जताते-हैं", "शक्ति-चलते-हैन"]·ID["berkuasa-atas", "memerintah"]·IT["esercitare-autorità"]·jav["mrentah-sewenang", "sami-nguwaosi"]·KO["권세-부린다", "권세를-부린다"]·PT["exercem-autoridade-sobre"]·RU["властвуют", "властвуют-над"]·ES["ejercen-autoridad-sobre"]·SW["wanawatumikisha-kwa-nguvu", "wao"]·TR["otorite-kullanıyorlar"]·urd["اختیار-جتاتے-ہیں", "اختیار-چلاتے-ہیں"]
Related Senses
G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)H0136 1. Lord (divine title) (440×)H0113 1. lord, human superior (249×)G1849 1. authority, power (91×)H6485a 2. Qal: punish, bring judgment (63×)H8198 1. maidservant, female slave (63×)G2962 2. master, lord (human authority) (61×)H0034 1. needy, poor, destitute (61×)H0519 1. female servant, maidservant (56×)H6041 1. poor, needy person (55×)H0113 2. master, owner of servants (49×)H4910 1. Qal: to have dominion, exercise power over (44×)H1800 1. poor, needy (socioeconomic) (38×)H3515 1. heavy, severe, grievous (36×)G4434 1. (34×)G5092 1. honor, esteem, respect (33×)H6485a 4. Qal: visit, attend to, care for (32×)H3513 1. honor / show respect (Piel) (30×)H4910 2. Qal: to rule, govern (administrative authority) (27×)H4513 1. withhold, restrain, hold back (25×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κατεξ-ουσιάζω, exercise authority over, τινος NT+4th c.AD+