The powers that be

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In idiomatic English, "the powers that be" (sometimes initialized as TPTB) is a phrase used to refer to those individuals or groups who collectively hold authority over a particular domain.^[1] Within this phrase, the word be is an archaic variant of are rather than a subjunctive be. The use of are in this phrase ("the powers that are") is less common. "The powers that were" (TPTW) can also be found.

Origin[]

The phrase first appeared in the Tyndale Bible, William Tyndale's 1526 translation of the New Testament, as: "Let every soul submit himself unto the authority of the higher powers. There is no power but of God. The powers that be, are ordained of God".^[2] In the 1611 King James Version it became, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: The powers that be are ordained of God." (rom 13:1),^[3] whence it eventually passed into popular language.^[4][5]

The phrase comes from a translation of the Greek: αἱ ... οὖσαι [ἐξουσίαι], romanized: hai ... oûsai [exousíai], lit. 'the ... existing [powers]'; ἐξουσίαι is also translated as "authorities" in some other translations.^[6]

Examples[]

"The powers that be" can refer to a variety of entities that depend on the domain, including

• Governments, both central and local, and the accompanying civil service
• The upper management of a business
• Those who control the dissemination of information
• Controlling bodies in any organization i.e corporation or activity
• Secret societies and cabals
• Karma or fate
• God or other deities
• Content creators
• Territorial spirits

In Popular Culture[]

The Public Enemy song "Fight the Power" (Public Enemy song) features a call to "fight the powers that be."^[7]

See also[]

• Elite
• Omnipotence
• Romans 13
• Supreme Being

References[]

External links[]

• The dictionary definition of powers that be at Wiktionary