India (Bible)

In biblical geography, India is described as bordering the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), as referenced in the Book of Esther ( and ). 1 Maccabees, which is located in the Deuterocanonon/Aprocrypha, references "the Indian mahouts of Antichus's war elephants [second century B.C.]". Archaeological findings in the cities of Sumer, including Kish, Lagash, and Ur, confirm trade between India and Mesopatamia. For example, ivory objects crafted in India have been found in Mesopotomia.

discusses the navy of King Solomon sailing to Ophir ("Sopheir" and "Sophara" in the LXX), with the word Sophir meaning India in Coptic; as gold was plentiful in India, "it is generally accepted that Ophir was a port in India". mentions "gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks" brought by the navy of King Solomon and King Hiram to Israel. In the Old Testament, the word for peacock tuki, the word for ivory shen habbim, and the word for ape kof are likely "derived from their Indian counterparts tokei, ab, and kapi, respectively." ,, and reference the Indian fragrant wood aloes, which in the Hebrew is ahalim, being derived from the Sanskrit agaru. Contemporary Babylonian texts use the word sindhu (meaning "Indian") for linen, as with Greek texts that use the word sindon for the same. The term Hodu in is a biblical name of India, which is derived from the word Hindu, referring to the inhabitants of the Sindhu River of the Indo-Gangetic Plain.

The Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature states, with respect to Indian Jews being presented at Pentecost:

According to Gerald Flurry, the context of, the descendants of Cush and Phut are found in India and what is now Pakistan. To this end, "the Syriac, Chaldee, and Arabic versions frequently render that term [Cush] by India or Indians, as in 2Ch 21:16; Isa 11:11; Isa 18:1; Jer 13:23; Zep 3:10."