After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a prayer during a Pentagon worship service Wednesday, viewers questioned whether the lines came from the Bible — or from the Quentin Tarantino movie “Pulp Fiction.”
Hegseth’s prayer has drawn scrutiny and attention on social media.
Christopher Hale, editor of the popular Letters from Leo Catholic newsletter, posted on X that “Pete Hegseth is doing to Christianity what Al-Qaeda did to Islam.”
Pete Hegseth is doing to Christianity what Al-Qaeda did to Islam. pic.twitter.com/HJ0uT7KuyD
— Christopher Hale (@ChristopherHale) April 15, 2026
The prayer Hegseth recited, Hale said, had been shared with him by the lead planner of the combat search and rescue mission that recovered two Air Force crew members shot down over Iran., USA Today reported.
Here’s what Hegseth said, according to USA Today:
“They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17. 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.”
According to the Bible’s King James version, Ezekiel 25:17 is as follows:
“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 part of Hegseth’s prayer “my call sign is Sandy One” is from an iconic scene in “Pulp Fiction,” according to USA Today. The rest of Hegseth’s prayer closely mirrors the fictionalized Ezekiel 25:17 that character Jules Winnfield said before killing a character in “Pulp Fiction.”
The “Pulp Fiction” movie quote is as follows:
“There’s a passage I got memorized, seems appropriate for this situation: Ezekiel 25:17. 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.”
