Lexical Definition

‎הֹדוּ‎ Hôdûw (ho'-doo) India ^N:N--L
of foreign origin

India.

• § India = "flee away" or " give ye thanks"
• Hodu (i.e. Hindustan)

1) the country surrounding the Indus, mentioned as the eastern border of the empire of Ahasuerus

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎הֹ֫דּוּ‎ proper name, of a location India (Old Persian Hiñd°u Spieg^{Altpers. Keilinschr. 246} Sanskrit Sindhu, sea, great river, see references in Rö^{Thes Add 83}, Yule^{Anglo-Indian Glossary, 329 ff.}; compare in Arabic , Aramaic , etc.) only ‎מֵהֹ֫דּוּ וְעַדכּֿוּשׁ‎ (‎הַמֹּלֵךְ‎) Esth 1:1; Esth 8:9 (ᵐ5 in both ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰνδικῆς).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

India • The eastern extent of Ahasuerus' Persian Empire

India, the eastern extent of Ahasuerus' Persian Empire (Esther 1:1; 8:9).

• A location first mentioned at Est.1.1;
• only referred to as India הֹדוּ.
  

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.

All entries for India: הֹדוּ