(1) An Ephraimite, the son of Nun (Numb. xiii. 8; Josh. xix. 49, 51; xxiv. 29).  His military tendencies were so soon recognised that, when first he is the leader of the Israelitish army in its first conflict with the Amalekites, and, aided by the prayers of Moses, achieves the victory (Exod. xvii. 8-16).  A personal attendant on Moses, he is with him up Mount Sinai when the golden calf is made, and on their approaching the camp, mistakes the noise of idolatrous revelry for the shouting of hostile combatants, as if his mind perpetually ran on battles (xxiv. 13; xxxii. 17, 18).  He was then a young man, and on account of his relations to Moses as his servant was allowed to enter the tabernacle (xxxiii. 11).  He was one of the twelve spies sent to report on the land of Canaan and its assailability, and one of two who encouraged the people to go and possess the land (Numb. xiii. 8; xiv. 6-9).  For this he narrowly escaped being stoned to death (10).  When the ten cowardly spies were doomed to die in the wilderness for their distrust of Jehovah's power to aid them, Joshua and his faithful colleague, Caleb, were exempted from the penalty, and lived on (xiv. 30, 38); besides which Joshua was indicated as Moses' successor and as the leader in the conquest of Canaan (Deut. i. 38; iii. 28)...
    (2) A native of Bethshemesh, the owner of a field to which the kine drawing the cart which carried the ark from the Philistine country made their way (1 Sam. vi. 14).
    (3) The governor of Jerusalem during the reign of Josiah (2 Kings xxiii. 8).
    (4) The high priest while Zerubbabel was governor of Judaea (Haggai i. 1, 12, 14; ii. 2-4; Zech. iii. 1-9).  Called in Ezra and Nehemiah Jeshua (q.v.).
    ¶ The Book of Joshua.—An Old Testament canonical book placed in the Hebrew as in the English Bible between Deuteronomy and Judges... (The Sunday School Teacher's Bible Manual, Hunter, 1894)