Joshua /ˈdʒɒʃuə/ or
Jehoshua (
Hebrew:
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ Yĕhôshúʿa or
Hebrew:
יֵשׁוּעַ Yĕshúʿa;
Aramaic: ܝܫܘܥ
Isho;
Greek: Ἰησοῦς,
Arabic: يوشع بن نون
Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn;
Latin:
Iosue,
Turkish:
Yuşa), is a figure in the
Torah, being one of the
spies for Israel (Num 13–14) and identified in several passages as Moses' assistant.
[3] He is the central figure in the
Hebrew Bible's
Book of Joshua. According to the books of
Exodus,
Numbers and
Joshua, he became the leader of the
Israelite tribes after the death of
Moses. His name was
Hoshe'a (הוֹשֵׁעַ) the son of
Nun, of the
tribe of Ephraim, but Moses called him
Yehoshu'a (יְהוֹשֻעַ; Joshua in English) (
Numbers 13:16) the name by which he is commonly known. The name is shortened to Yeshua in Nehemiah (
Nehemiah 8:17). According to the Bible he was born in
Egypt prior to
the Exodus.
[2]
He was one of the twelve spies of Israel sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. (
Numbers 13:1-16) After the death of Moses, he led the Israelite tribes in the conquest of Canaan, and allocated the land to the tribes. According to
Biblical chronology, Joshua lived between 1355-1245 BCE,
[4] or sometime in the late
Bronze Age. According to
Joshua 24:29, Joshua died at the age of 110. Joshua also holds a position of respect among Muslims. According to Islamic tradition, he was, along with
Caleb,
one of the two believing spies whom Moses had sent to spy the land of Canaan.
[5] All
Muslims also see Joshua as the leader of the
Israelites, following the death of Moses. Some Muslims also believe Joshua to be the "attendant" of Moses mentioned in the
Qur’ān, before Moses meets
Khidr and some believe that he is a prophet.