powers that be

Etymology
After Romans 13:1 in the and the.

The phrase is a translation of the. “Be” is the archaic third-person plural present indicative form, equivalent to the modern “are”, not a.

Noun

 * 1)  The holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially if seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 當權者
 * Cornish: an awtoritas
 * Dutch: gevestigde orde, hoge heren,
 * Finnish:
 * French: autorités constituées
 * German: die zuständigen Stellen, die da oben
 * Greek:
 * Italian: poteri forti
 * Polish: grupa trzymająca władzę
 * Russian:, ,
 * Swedish: ,