The powers that be

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] The word "be" is the archaic alternative form of "are"; the singular equivalent, "the power that is," is less commonly used. "The powers that were" (TPTW) is also another derivation that is used.

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

gollark: That's stupid and arbitrary.
gollark: Really, you are just 22π wrong.
gollark: Sure.
gollark: Yes it does. At the coal generator stage I doubt you can afford a high-efficiency steam-based TE setup.
gollark: You don't need experiments, this is mostly available in JEI.

See also

References
  1. "powers that be". The Free Dictionary. Farlex. 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  2. Tyndale, William (1526). Tyndale Bible. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013.
  3. Archived December 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "The powers that be - meaning and origin". Phrases.org.uk. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
  5. "powers that be - definition of powers that be by The Free Dictionary". Thefreedictionary.com. 1987-03-01. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
  6. Biblos.com. Chain Link Bible. Romans 13:1.
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