Hegseth's Pentagon prayer sounds like 'Pulp Fiction' line; here's why

A prayer delivered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Pentagon worship service Wednesday has viewers wondering whether he referenced the Bible — or a line made famous by a Quentin Tarantino movie

Hegseth, who previously prayed for "overwhelming violence of action" during a prayer service, appeared to paraphrase a line better known from "Pulp Fiction" than from scripture.

Here's what to know.

What did Pete Hegseth say in his prayer?

Speaking during a worship sermon at the Pentagon, Hegseth recounted a prayer he said was shared to him by the lead planner of the CSAR stands for Combat Search and Rescue operation that rescued two Air Force crew members shot down over Iran.

"They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17," Hegseth said.

"The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men," Hegseth prayed. "Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherd 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 One when I lay my vengeance upon thee, and amen."

While the prayer echoes scripture, only part of its final line appears in the Bible. Ezekiel 25:17 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."

Instead of the biblical "I am the Lord," Hegseth said, "my call sign is Sandy One" — a line not found in scripture. The rest of Hegseth's quote closely mirrors the fictionalized Ezekiel 25:17 Samuel L. Jackson's character, Jules Winnfield, cited before killing a character in "Pulp Fiction."

"There's a passage I got memorized, seems appropriate for this situation: Ezekiel 25:17," Jackson's character said. "The path of the righteous man 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 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 you."

Hegseth's prayer caught the attention of X and Reddit users, who commented on its parallels with the "Pulp Fiction" line.

Some questioned if the prayer was satire, while others called it "beyond embarrassing."

"It's a shocking mix of ignorance and theatrics," one X user said. "The Pentagon deserves seriousness, not Hollywood cosplay."

Hegseth did not say during his speech Wednesday when or how the passage was relayed to him by the rescue operation leader.