: The lines Hegseth recited—referencing "the path of the downed aviator" being "beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish"—were almost word-for-word adaptations of the speech delivered by Samuel L. Jackson's character, Jules Winnfield, in the 1994 film.

: A spokesperson for Hegseth, Sean Parnell , defended the recitation, stating it was "inspired by" the film but still a reflection of the actual verse's themes. Political and Public Backlash

In April 2026, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparked widespread controversy by reciting a "prayer" during a Pentagon worship service that closely mirrored a famous fictional Bible monologue from the movie Pulp Fiction . Hegseth claimed the passage, which he attributed to , had been shared with him by a mission planner involved in the rescue of American airmen in Iran. The "Pulp Fiction" Prayer Incident

: While the film passage claims to be Ezekiel 25:17, it is largely a fictional creation by director Quentin Tarantino. The actual biblical verse focuses on God's vengeance rather than the "righteous man" or "shepherding the lost".