Nebuchadnezzar’s orders, akin to divine commands, are promptly obeyed by his general. In just a few lines, a campaign that would take months to complete is quickly summarized, and the advancing army’s overwhelming size is clear. In 3:1-4, we see three expressions of the most extreme and foolish submission: the subjugation of the people, the surrender of their livelihoods, and the giving up of cities and territories. However, political and economic submission alone isn’t enough for the empire; religious submission is also demanded, which Holofernes enforces: destroy every sanctuary, every sacred tree, every deity so Nebuchadnezzar can be worshiped—”all nations may worship Nebuchadnezzar alone and all tribes may call him god, each in his language” (3:8).