Pentagon speaks out on Pete Hegseth quoting fake Bible passage from Pulp Fiction

A Pentagon spokesperson has spoken out after Pete Hegseth recited a fake Bible passage that's said by Samuel L. Jackson's character in Pulp Fiction.

The defence secretary's prayer at the Pentagon Complex on Wednesday (April 16) did not exactly go to plan as he marked the rescue of US Air Force crew members who were downed by Iran earlier this month.

Stating that the prayer was recited at the start of the combat search and rescue mission for the crew, 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.

"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.

Pete Hegseth is seemingly a fan of Pulp Fiction (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

"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."

Many people online quickly noticed the similarities of the speech to the fake Bible passage read out by Jackson's character in Pulp Fiction.

"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," the quote from the Quentin Tarantino classic reads.

"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."

The defence secretary cited Samuel L. Jackson's character instead of the Bible (Miramax Films)

Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, took to X and defended Hegseth despite the obvious similarities with the fake Bible passage in Pulp Fiction.

"Secretary Hegseth on Wednesday shared a custom prayer, referenced as the CSAR prayer, used by the brave warfighters of Sandy-1 who led the daylight rescue mission of Dude 44 Alpha out of Iran, which was obviously inspired by dialogue in Pulp Fiction," he said in a statement.

"However, both the CSAR prayer and the dialogue in Pulp Fiction were reflections of the verse Ezekiel 25:17, as Secretary Hegseth clearly said in his remarks at the prayer service. Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality."