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] Within this phrase, the word be is an archaic variant of are rather than a subjunctive be. The use of are in this phrase ("the powers that are") is less common. "The powers that were" (TPTW) can also be found.
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🔵 The Powers that Be Meaning - Powers that Be Examples - Subjunctive Phrases - ESL British English
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The Shock of the New - Ep 2 - The Powers That Be
Transcription
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." (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
- 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
In popular culture
- The Public Enemy song "Fight the Power" features a call to "fight the powers that be."[7]
- Roger Waters' song, "The Powers That Be", appears on his 1987 album Radio Kaos
- Death Grips's fourth studio album, The Powers That B, references this phrase.
- Kendrick Lamar's third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly has the song "King Kunta" which references this phrase.
- The Dreadnoughts's album Into the North has the song "Roll Northumbria" which uses this phrase.
- 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."[8]
- In the lyrics of "Meds" by Placebo, "the powers that be" are mentioned.
See also
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ Watrous, Peter (April 22, 1990). "RECORDINGS; Public Enemy Makes Waves - and Compelling Music". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Puscifer Lyrics".
External links
The dictionary definition of powers that be at Wiktionary
This page was last edited on 13 April 2024, at 21:28