Posted on 04/16/2026 6:04:43 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth read a fake Bible quote from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 movie Pulp Fiction during a prayer service at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
Discussing the Sandy 1 rescue mission of a downed pilot in Iran this month, Hegseth (as first flagged by A Public Witness, a religion-themed Substack) urged his audience to join him in a prayer, which he claims was delivered at the beginning of the mission.
“This prayer was recited by Sandy 1, which is one of the Sandies, to all Sandies, all those A-10 crews, prior to all CSAR missions, but especially this CSAR mission, which happened in real time,” Hegseth said. “They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17.”
He continued:
So the prayer is CSAR 25:17 and it reads, and pray with me please, “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 duty 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.”
While the prayer didn’t sound very much like Ezekiel 25:17, which — in the King James Bible — simply reads, “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,” it did bear a strong resemblance to a fake version of Ezekiel 25:17 quoted by the actor Samuel L. Jackson in Tarantino’s 1994 crime movie Pulp Fiction, just before his character shoots a man to death.
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,” says Jackson in the movie. “Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak 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 poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”
Tarantino himself poached the fake Bible verse from the 1970s Japanese martial arts movie Bodyguard Kiba.
It's no biggie, but I'm genuinely curious as to how Hegseth stumbled upon this movie quote and thought it to be Scripture.
It's been quoted by wannabe tough guys since the 90s. It's also important to note that Hegseth isn't too bright.
He didn’t. It’s a joke. The fact he knew it was (loosely) based on Ezekiel 25:17 means he knew it was from Pulp Fiction.
Who’s not too bright, the jokester or the person who misses the obvious tells that it’s a joke???
There is another very famous Pulp Fiction quote from the character Vincent played by John Travolta
“Shit happens”
“Who’s not too bright, the jokester or the person who misses the obvious tells that it’s a joke???”
#################
“Check out the big brain on Dangus!!!”
If it was indeed intentional, it was a lame joke.
There are over three-quarters of million words in the KJV. If you’re leading a prayer session and not doing stand-up comedy, it’s not too hard to find a half dozen real verses that would be appropriate to the situation.
and what pray tell have you in your brilliance actually accomplished?
BTW..... the correct spelling is Klingon
All I know is that a hamburger is the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.
Anyone who takes “mediaite” seriously isn’t too bright.
Anyone who sneers at Major Pete’s intelligence isn’t too bright.
And there is no curse in Elvish, Entish, or the Tongues of Men sufficient to describe the dishonesty of those who pretend that Major Pete didn’t know that he wasn’t directly quoting Scripture
What?
You’re right.
First, I don’t see where Hegseth says it’s direct scripture. Second, who says a prayer must come directly from scripture? This is a warriors prayer.
every day i grab my morning coffee and get into FR to see who will throw the first TDS insult of the day...and i wasnt disappointed again today. May all their legs grow together...
It doesn’t have to be a joke. It’s a warriors prayer. Heck, Patton prayed for good weather so air support would protect his troops.
Hegseth always fails to exceed expectations.
Prolly said it while eatin’ a Royal with Cheese, which IS a tasty burger!!!
That’s right.
I clicked through and watched that section of the video.
Hegesth clearly knew he was making a joke.
The audience can be seen laughing.
Exactly.
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