Hegseth quotes fake Bible verse from 'Pulp Fiction' at Pentagon prayer service
During a Pentagon prayer service, Hegseth recited a passage he described as tied to Ezekiel 25:17, saying it had been used by the 'Sandy 1' Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission in Iran
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday (15 April) sought to invoke holy scripture while discussing the rescue mission of an American fighter pilot stranded in Iran, but instead quoted a line from Pulp Fiction, reports Variety.
During a Pentagon prayer service, Hegseth recited a passage he described as tied to Ezekiel 25:17, saying it had been used by the "Sandy 1" Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission in Iran.
"They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17," he said.
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He then led a prayer, reading, "The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and dut,y shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother, and you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee. Amen."
The passage closely mirrors the speech delivered by Jules Winnfield, the hitman character portrayed by Samuel L Jackson in "Pulp Fiction," which itself is a stylised and inaccurate version of a biblical verse.
That version of Ezekiel 25:17 was adapted by director Quentin Tarantino, who drew from a similar misattributed line in the 1973 Japanese martial arts film "Bodyguard Kiba."
The original biblical verse in the King James Bible is much shorter and refers to divine vengeance against the Philistines: "And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them."
The discrepancy was first noted by the religion and politics blog, A Public Witness.
Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, was appointed defense secretary by President Donald Trump following his second-term election victory and was sworn in on 25 January, 2025.
