Pete Hegseth has been drawing criticism online after appearing to reference a “Bible” passage during a Pentagon sermon event — only for viewers to point out the wording closely matches a line popularised by Pulp Fiction.
Donald Trump’s defence secretary spoke at the Pentagon Complex on Wednesday (April 16). During the remarks, he referred to what he called a prayer known as “CSAR 25:17,” which he said had also been invoked in connection with a recent Iran operation involving two US Air Force crew members being shot down.
Pete Hegseth quoted a fake Bible verse from Pulp Fiction during a Pentagon sermon.pic.twitter.com/1o3CJiJYRF
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 16, 2026
The issue, according to those reacting online, is that the passage he recited doesn’t come from the Bible as described, but instead echoes the stylised “scripture” recited in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film.
The Trump administration official said: “The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.
“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 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee, and amen.”
In Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson’s character memorably presents a similar monologue as if it were a verse from Ezekiel 25:17 — but the film’s version is not a direct Bible quotation, and is widely credited to Tarantino and Roger Avary.
However, those words were penned by Tarantino and Roger Avary for Pulp Fiction.
The full quote from Pulp Fiction states: “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.”
While there is some overlap in tone and a few shared phrases between the movie monologue and the biblical text, the wording is not the same — and that distinction is what many commenters say Hegseth appeared to blur.
Part of the Bible passage 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.”
The moment has since triggered a wave of reactions across social media, with users weighing in on what they viewed as an embarrassing mix-up.
Many have flocked to social media to discuss the defence secretary’s blunder, as one person joked: “By now, everyone has long figured out that Donald Trump and his crew are shooting a documentary-style sequel to Pulp Fiction 2.”
While a second added: “I feel like I’m watching a poorly scripted reality show when it comes to pretty much everything Trump administration related.”