powers that be

See also: powers-that-be

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

After Romans 13:1 in the Tyndale Bible[1] and the King James Version.[2]

This “be” was not an English subjunctive but translated the Ancient Greek αἱ οὖσαι ἐξουσίαι (hai oûsai exousíai, “the existing authorities”) using the now-archaic alternative third-person plural indicative form, equivalent to the modern “are”.

Noun

powers that be pl (plural only)

  1. (idiomatic) The holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially if seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.
    • 1857, Anthony Trollope, chapter 2, in Barchester Towers:
      It appeared as though the hospital at Barchester would fall into abeyance, unless the powers that be should take some steps towards putting it once more into working order.
    • 1929, Alexander Berkman, chapter 10, in Now and After: The ABC of Communist Anarchism, New York: Vanguard Press, OCLC 83572649:
      Whoever you elect, he will legislate in favor of ‘law and order,’ to protect things as they are. The main concern of the powers that be is that the people should continue to believe in and uphold the existing system.

Derived terms

See also

Translations

Further reading

References
  1. “Romans 13:1”, in Tyndale Bible, 1526: “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. Bible (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, 1611, Romans 13:1: “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.”.
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