The powers that be decided to close the old branch.
the powers that be
idiomThe people or institutions holding authority, especially remote or unnamed ones.
Origin
The phrase is from Paul's letter to the Romans, 13:1, in the King James Version: the powers that be are ordained of God. Paul is urging Christians to submit to governing authorities, and the powers that be simply meant the existing rulers — those in charge.
The phrasing preserves an archaic grammar, that be where modern English would say that are, and it is precisely this fossilised oddity that gives the expression its distinctive ring.
In English the powers that be now refers to whoever holds authority in a given situation — management, government, the board, the officials somewhere above you — and it usually carries a faint edge of resignation or grievance, naming a power one cannot see, reach, or argue with.
We can complain all we like, but the powers that be have already made up their minds.
The staff had drawn up a careful, sensible proposal, but everyone knew it would go nowhere unless the powers that be — invisible, unaccountable, and several floors up — happened to decide that this year they cared.
Acts and the letters of Paul to the first churches.
- 01
reap what you sow (idiom)
Your actions produce their own inevitable consequences, good or bad.
- 02
the root of all evil (idiom)
The underlying source of much wrongdoing — most often applied to money.
- 03
fight the good fight (idiom)
To persevere with determination in a worthy and difficult struggle.
- 04
a thorn in the side (idiom)
A persistent source of irritation, trouble, or difficulty.
- 05
road to Damascus (idiom)
An important point in someone's life where a great change, or reversal, of ideas or beliefs occurs.
- 06
the wages of sin (idiom)
The inevitable painful consequences of wrongdoing.