You know the scene. Samuel L. Jackson, sporting that iconic Jheri curl as Jules Winnfield, stands over a terrified kid named Brett. He’s eating Brett's burger, drinking his Sprite, and then he drops the hammer. He launches into this booming, terrifying monologue that sounds like it came straight from the mouth of an angry God. It’s the Ezekiel 25:17 speech, and honestly, it’s probably the most famous "Bible verse" in movie history.
But here is the thing: if you actually go home, dust off a King James Bible, and flip to the Book of Ezekiel, you’re going to be very confused.
Most of what Jules says isn’t in the Bible. Not even close. It’s a mix of real scripture, 1970s martial arts cinema, and Quentin Tarantino’s imagination.
The Quote vs. The Reality
If you ask a casual fan to recite the Ezekiel 25:17 quote, they’ll start with the "path of the righteous man." It sounds legitimate. It uses words like "iniquity," "charity," and "valley of darkness." It feels like something a fire-and-brimstone preacher would scream from a pulpit in the 1800s.
In the film, the full text goes like this:
"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 thee."
Now, let's look at what the actual Bible says in Ezekiel 25:17. Depending on your translation, it usually looks something like this:
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"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."
That’s it. That is the whole thing.
The stuff about the righteous man? Gone. The "brother's keeper" part? Not there. The "finder of lost children"? Totally made up for the movie. Only the very last sentence bears any real resemblance to the actual biblical text. Basically, Tarantino took a tiny fragment of scripture and built a gothic cathedral of dialogue around it.
Where did the rest come from?
If it’s not from the Bible, where did Tarantino find it? The answer lies in his obsession with obscure 1970s action movies.
Specifically, the "righteous man" preamble was lifted almost word-for-word from the opening of a 1976 Japanese martial arts film called The Bodyguard (also known as Karate Kiba), starring the legendary Sonny Chiba. At the beginning of that movie, a text crawl appears on the screen with a very similar "creed."
Tarantino, being the human encyclopedia of grindhouse cinema that he is, took that Chiba speech, polished it up, and slapped the "Ezekiel 25:17" label on it because it sounded cooler. It’s a classic example of his "remix" style of filmmaking. He takes bits of pop culture trash and turns them into high-art gold.
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Why Jules Says It (And Why It Changes)
The most fascinating part of the Ezekiel 25:17 quote isn't just that it's "fake." It’s how the meaning of the words evolves for Jules throughout the movie.
When we first hear it in that apartment, Jules is a cold-blooded hitman. To him, the speech is just "some cold-blooded shit to say" before he kills someone. It’s performance art. It’s a way to terrify his victims so they die in a state of absolute shock. He’s the one striking down with "great vengeance." He thinks he's the hand of God, but he’s really just a guy working for Marsellus Wallace.
But then, the "miracle" happens.
A guy bursts out of the bathroom and empties a "hand cannon" at Jules and Vincent. They should be dead. Instead, the bullets hit the wall behind them, forming a perfect silhouette.
By the end of the movie, when Jules is sitting in the diner with "Pumpkin" (Ringo), he recites the quote again. But this time, his voice is quiet. He’s actually thinking about the words. He realizes he’s been lying to himself.
He tells Ringo:
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- Maybe you’re the evil man and I’m the righteous man.
- Maybe I’m the shepherd and you’re the weak.
- But the truth is, you are the weak and I am the tyranny of evil men.
That moment is the soul of Pulp Fiction. It’s a man realizing that his favorite "cool" quote is actually a confession of his own sins. He decides to stop being the "tyranny" and starts trying to be the "shepherd."
The Legacy of a Misquote
Samuel L. Jackson has said in interviews that people still come up to him today—decades later—and ask him to recite the speech. He still knows it by heart.
The quote has appeared on everything from t-shirts to Nick Fury’s tombstone in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s a rare case where a movie's version of a text has completely eclipsed the original source material. Most people who hear the name "Ezekiel" today don't think of an ancient Hebrew prophet; they think of a guy in a suit with a "Bad Motherfucker" wallet.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Writers
If you're looking to use this information or just want to be the smartest person at your next movie night, keep these points in mind:
- Check the Source: Don't ever use the Pulp Fiction version if you're actually writing a theology paper. You will get an F.
- Understand the Pastiche: The quote is a "pastiche"—a work of art that imitates the style of other works. It’s a blend of Sonny Chiba, the King James Bible, and Tarantino's ear for rhythm.
- Watch the Arc: Pay attention to how Jules' tone changes between the first and last time he says it. The words are the same, but the man is different.
- The "Bodyguard" Connection: If you want to see the "original" version, look up the intro to Sonny Chiba’s The Bodyguard (1976). It’s a trip to see where the DNA of this quote started.
While the Ezekiel 25:17 quote might be factually "wrong" according to the Bible, it’s narratively "right" for the world of Pulp Fiction. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the myths we tell ourselves are more powerful than the truth—until the truth comes flying at us in the form of a .45 caliber bullet that somehow misses.
Next Steps for You:
- Watch the 1976 intro of Karate Kiba on YouTube to see the text crawl that inspired Tarantino.
- Compare the King James Version of Ezekiel 25 to the movie script to see exactly where the "real" Bible stops and the "movie" Bible begins.
- Re-watch the final diner scene specifically to track Jules' facial expressions as he breaks down the three different interpretations of the "righteous man."