The powers that be
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In idiomatic English, "the powers that be" 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.
Origin
The phrase first appeared in the Tyndale Bible, William Tyndale's 1526 translation of Romans Chapter 13 verse 1 in 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." (Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".),[3] whence it eventually passed into popular language.[4][5]
The phrase comes from a translation of the Template:Langx; Script error: No such module "Lang". 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
See also
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References
External links
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ [1] Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ Biblos.com. Chain Link Bible. Romans 13:1.