Joshua

About Joshua

Joshua, the son of Nun, was a prominent figure in the Old Testament who served as Moses' assistant and later succeeded him as the leader of the Israelites. He was from the tribe of Ephraim (Num.13.8) and was originally named Hoshea, but Moses changed his name to Joshua (Num.13.16). Joshua was one of the twelve spies sent to explore the land of Canaan (Num.13.8), and he and Caleb were the only ones who brought back a positive report and encouraged the people to trust God (Num.14.6-9). As a result, Joshua and Caleb were the only adults from their generation permitted to enter the Promised Land (Num.14.30, 38).

Before Moses' death, God appointed Joshua to succeed him as the leader of Israel (Num.27.18-23; Deu.31.7-8, 14, 23). After Moses' death, Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River and into the land of Canaan (Joshua 1-4). He oversaw the conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6), Ai (Joshua 8), and numerous other cities and territories (Joshua 10-12). Joshua also led the Israelites in renewing their covenant with God (Jos.8.30-35; 24.1-28).

Under Joshua's leadership, the land of Canaan was divided among the tribes of Israel as their inheritance (Joshua 13-21). In his old age, Joshua gave a farewell address to the Israelites, encouraging them to remain faithful to God (Joshua 23-24). He died at the age of 110 and was buried in his inheritance at Timnath-serah (Jos.24.29-30; Jdg.2.8-9).

Joshua is remembered as a courageous leader, a faithful servant of God, and a key figure in Israel's history who led the people into the Promised Land and helped establish them as a nation.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.