“The Path of the Righteous Man”
The path of the righteous man 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 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 would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
Jules Winnfield’s infamous rendition of Ezekiel 25:17 is among the most misquoted Bible verses of all time. Each time it is used in the movie conveys a different side to Jules’s personality- the first time used to “pop a cap in a motherfucker’s ass” and the second analyzes the actual meaning of the text.The quotation above does not at all resemble the actual Ezekiel 25:17, which states: “I will carry out my vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I take vengeance on them” (New International Version, Ezekiel 25:17). The only similarities are “great vengeance” and “they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.” However, this version and Winnfield’s version differ in demeanor. The Biblical version is derived from God’s wrath at the Philistines for destroying Judah, which mentions nothing about the “path of a righteous man.” Tarantino’s inspiration for the speech was not from the actual Bible verse but rather derived from Japanese star Sony Chiba’s movie, The Bodyguard. This creed, read off by the narrator at the start of the movie, is almost identical to Winnfield’s violent testimony, differing only in the last line by saying, “And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee,” instead of Chiba’s version, “and they shall know that I am Chiba the Bodyguard when I shall lay my vengeance upon them!” Both movies use this quote to inflict violence on those “who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers;” however, Winnfield’s attitude the first time using the verse more closely embodies the meaning of it in The Bodyguard.
The first appearance of the Path of the Righteous Man, Winnfield considered himself the righteous man, asserting a strong dominance and doing away with the people who attempt to poison his brothers. His entire approach to the situation is an assertion of dominance. In the picture below, Winnfield’s dominance is clear by his aggressive stance and hostile look in his eye, while asking Brett a series of questions before ending his life with Ezekiel 25:17.
Brett is scared and intimidated. His timid body language: raised shoulders and bent elbows with a clinched fist, exemplifies that he is not in control of the situation, and the low camera angle only accentuates Winnfield’s dominance as he towers over Brett. From this viewpoint, he asks, “you ever read the Bible, Brett?” as he begins to back up and recite the quote with a clear look of hostility. Immediately following the verse with six shots to Brett’s chest, the last glimpse of Winnfield in this scene exhibits the same hostile expression, showing no remorse for his actions. However, each time Winnfield uses this passage, his demeanor gradually shifts from a self-righteous hit man to a different, more understanding man altogether.
The non-linear timeline of the movie gives the audience a glimpse of Winnfield’s standard use of Ezekiel 25:17, effectively presenting the evolution of his character. After killing Brett, another roommate hiding in the bathroom for the duration of the previous series of events comes out of his hiding place and shoots a series of bullets at both of the hit men. Jules is astonished that all six bullets missed him and hit the wall, claiming it was “divine intervention” and “God came down from Heaven and stopped those bullets.” In the picture below, Jules is contemplating the chances that he should be dead.
This is the changing moment for Jackson’s character, because this “miracle” leaves him pondering the question of whether he should “leave the life” of a gangster. Each time Winnfield appears after the “miracle,” he acts less malicious, rethinking his role he takes in the Path of the Righteous Man.
The last scene of the movie shows the change in Jules’s character as the setting is taken back to the diner in the beginning of the movie. Since the scenes are scattered and non-linear, the end scene is taken back to the start, symbolizing the end of Winnfield’s journey. His attitude in this scene differs from any previous attitudes he has shown throughout the movie; he does act as a cold-hearted gangster. In the picture below, Jules and Ringo are sitting across from each other, symbolizing the understanding of equality between the two men.
This is significantly different from Winnfield’s authoritative attitude towards Brett in the beginning. The camera angle in this scene further illustrates the equality when Jules asks his notorious question, “You read the Bible, Ringo?” However, he asks this question with no intensions of killing the man sitting across from him. Jules states Ezekiel 25:17 in a calm and clear tone, and he makes his non-violent intentions clear when he follows the verse by saying, “I never really questioned what it meant…But I saw some shit this mornin’ made me think twice.” He continues by giving the different approaches to the meaning of the verse. Perhaps Ringo is the evil man, Jules is the righteous man, and the gun is the shepherd. Or, Ringo is the righteous man, Jules is the shepherd, and society plays the “evil, selfish” role. Jules has put thought into the different interpretations of this verse, because he then disproves both of those interpretations by saying, “that shit ain’t the truth. The truth is you’re the weak. And I’m the tyranny of evil men. But I’m tryin’. I’m tryin’ real hard to be the shepherd.” Lowering his gun directly after saying this, Jules character reversal is complete, because he understands he is the tyranny of the evil men. Letting Ringo go was his resistance to evil, turning towards the role of the shepherd.
Jules Winnfield appeared to have a running fascination with the presentation of his Bible verse, rather than understanding what the words actually meant. Because of his aggressive and malicious attitude in the beginning, he used Ezekiel 25:17 to justify his behavior. His near-death experience was an epiphany and allowed him to grasp his role in society. The “miracle” and the realization that he should have died was his incentive to turn away from the lifestyle of a cold-hearted gangster. Buying Ringo’s life was the final step in turning toward his ideal life, as the shepherd.
