3-447: The powers that be is a phrase that refers to those individuals or groups who collectively hold authority over a particular domain The powers that be may also refer to: The powers that be 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. Within this phrase, the word be
6-555: Is an archaic variant of are rather than a subjunctive be . 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". In the 1611 King James Version it became, "Let every soul be subject unto
9-513: The higher powers. For there is no power but of God: The powers that be are ordained of God." ( Rom 13:1 ), whence it eventually passed into popular language. 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. "The powers that be" can refer to
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