The powers that be: Difference between revisions
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{{Other uses|The powers that be (disambiguation){{!}}The Powers That Be}} |
{{Other uses|The powers that be (disambiguation){{!}}The Powers That Be}} |
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In [[idiom]]atic English, "'''the powers that be'''" |
In [[idiom]]atic English, "'''the powers that be'''" is a phrase used to refer to those individuals or groups who collectively hold authority over a particular domain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/powers+that+be|title=powers that be|work=The Free Dictionary|publisher=Farlex|date=2011|accessdate=June 5, 2016}}</ref> Within this phrase, the word ''be'' is an archaic variant of ''are'' rather than a subjunctive ''be''. |
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==Origin== |
==Origin== |
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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 power]]s. There is no power but of God. The powers that be, are ordained of God".<ref>{{cite book|first=William|last=Tyndale|author-link=William Tyndale|title=Tyndale Bible|year=1526|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10553/10553-h/10553-h.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927164124/https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10553/10553-h/10553-h.htm|archive-date=September 27, 2013}}</ref> 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." ({{bibleverse|Rom|13:1|kjv}}),<ref>[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10/10-h/10-h.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218203840/https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10/10-h/10-h.htm|date=December 18, 2014}}</ref> whence it eventually passed into popular language.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-powers-that-be.html |title=The powers that be - meaning and origin |publisher=Phrases.org.uk |date= |accessdate=June 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/powers+that+be |title=powers that be - definition of powers that be by The Free Dictionary |publisher=Thefreedictionary.com |date=March 1, 1987 |accessdate=June 2, 2015}}</ref> |
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 power]]s. There is no power but of God. The powers that be, are ordained of God".<ref>{{cite book|first=William|last=Tyndale|author-link=William Tyndale|title=Tyndale Bible|year=1526|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10553/10553-h/10553-h.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927164124/https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10553/10553-h/10553-h.htm|archive-date=September 27, 2013}}</ref> 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." ({{bibleverse|Rom|13:1|kjv}}),<ref>[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10/10-h/10-h.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218203840/https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10/10-h/10-h.htm|date=December 18, 2014}}</ref> whence it eventually passed into popular language.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-powers-that-be.html |title=The powers that be - meaning and origin |publisher=Phrases.org.uk |date= |accessdate=June 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/powers+that+be |title=powers that be - definition of powers that be by The Free Dictionary |publisher=Thefreedictionary.com |date=March 1, 1987 |accessdate=June 2, 2015}}</ref> |
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The phrase comes from a translation of the {{ |
The phrase comes from a translation of the {{langx|el|αἱ ... οὖσαι [ἐξουσίαι]|hai ... oûsai [exousíai]|lit=the ... existing [powers]}}; {{lang|grc|ἐξουσίαι}} is also translated as "authorities" in some other translations.<ref>Biblos.com. Chain Link Bible. [http://scripturetext.com/romans/13-1.htm Romans 13:1].</ref> |
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==Examples== |
==Examples== |
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* [[secret society|Secret societies]] and [[cabal]]s |
* [[secret society|Secret societies]] and [[cabal]]s |
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== |
== See also == |
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* The [[Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy]] song [[Fight the Power (Public Enemy song)|"Fight the Power"]] features a call to "fight the powers that be."<ref name="Watrous">{{cite news|last=Watrous|first=Peter|date=April 22, 1990|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/22/arts/recordings-public-enemy-makes-waves-and-compelling-music.html?pagewanted=all|title=RECORDINGS; Public Enemy Makes Waves - and Compelling Music|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|location=New York|access-date=June 7, 2012}}</ref> |
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* [[Roger Waters]] has a song called "The Powers That Be" on his 1987 album [[Radio K.A.O.S.|Radio Kaos]]. |
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* [[Death Grips]]'s fourth studio album is called [[The Powers That B]], which is also a reference to this phrase. |
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* [[Kendrick Lamar]]'s third studio album [[To Pimp a Butterfly]] has the song "King Kunta" which references this phrase. |
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* [[The Dreadnoughts]]'s album [[Into the North]] has the song "Roll Northumbria" which uses this phrase. |
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* [[Puscifer]] have a song called "Bread and Circus" on their 2020 album [[Existential Reckoning]], where "powers that be" is mentioned twice in the lyrics - verse 2."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://puscifer.com/lyrics/ | title=Puscifer Lyrics }}</ref> |
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* In the lyrics of "Meds" by [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]] "the powers that be" are mentioned |
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* {{annotated link|Elite}} |
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==See also== |
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* {{annotated link|Omnipotence}} |
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*[[Elite]] |
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* {{annotated link|Romans 13}} |
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*[[Omnipotence]] |
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*[[Romans 13]] |
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* {{annotated link|Young Wizards#The Powers That Be}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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[[Category:New Testament words and phrases]] |
[[Category:New Testament words and phrases]] |
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[[Category:16th-century neologisms]] |
[[Category:16th-century neologisms]] |
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[[Category:16th-century quotations]] |
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[[Category:English phrases]] |
[[Category:English phrases]] |
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Latest revision as of 06:58, 22 November 2024
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
[edit]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." (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
[edit]"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
[edit]- Elite – Group or class of persons enjoying superior status
- Omnipotence – Quality of having unlimited power
- Romans 13 – thirteenth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible
- Supreme deity (disambiguation)
- The Establishment – Visible dominant group that holds power or authority in a nation or organization
- Young Wizards#The Powers That Be – Novel series by Diane Duane
References
[edit]- ^ "powers that be". The Free Dictionary. Farlex. 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
- ^ Tyndale, William (1526). Tyndale Bible. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013.
- ^ [1] Archived December 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The powers that be - meaning and origin". Phrases.org.uk. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^ "powers that be - definition of powers that be by The Free Dictionary". Thefreedictionary.com. March 1, 1987. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^ Biblos.com. Chain Link Bible. Romans 13:1.
External links
[edit]
The dictionary definition of powers that be at Wiktionary
