Joshua or
Jehoshua (
Yĕhôshúʿa or
Yĕshúʿa;
Isho; ,
Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn; , ), is a figure in the
Torah, being one of the spies for Israel (Num 13–14) and identified in several passages as Moses' assistant. 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) the name by which he is commonly known. The name is shortened to Yeshua in Nehemiah . According to the Bible he was born in
Egypt prior to
the Exodus.