The eastern extent of Ahasuerus' Persian Empire
India
Named in 2 verses of Esther, first in Esther 1:1.
הֹ֫דּוּIndia
The name means “praise; law.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869
About India Written by AI
India is mentioned twice in the book of Esther as the eastern boundary of the Persian Empire during the reign of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). In Esther 1:1, the vast extent of Ahasuerus' kingdom is described, stretching from India to Ethiopia (Cush). Later, in Esther 8:9, when the king issues a decree to protect the Jews, it is sent to all the provinces from India to Ethiopia. These references suggest that the Persian Empire had control over or influence in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. However, the Bible does not provide any specific details about the region or its people.
Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.
Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897
Occurs only in Esther 1:1 and 8:9, where the extent of the dominion of the Persian king is described. The country so designated here is not the peninsula of Hindustan, but the country surrounding the Indus, the Punjab. The people and the products of India were well known to the Jews, who seem to have carried on an active trade with that country (Ezek. 27:15, 24).
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.
Where the Bible names it
- Esther 1:1
This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.
- Esther 8:9
At once the royal scribes were summoned, and on the twenty-third day of the third month (the month of Sivan), they recorded all of Mordecai’s orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and princes of the 127 provinces from India to Cush—writing to each province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.
From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.