The Hebrew proper name Nuwn (Nun) refers to the father of Joshua (Yehoshua), the man who succeeded Moses as leader of Israel. The name means "fish" or "posterity" and is also the name of the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Nun was from the tribe of Ephraim.
Though Nun himself is not a major figure, his legacy is enormous through his son Joshua. The repeated phrase "Joshua son of Nun" throughout the Pentateuch and the book of Joshua serves as a constant reminder that God raises up leaders from faithful households. Nun's obscurity and Joshua's greatness together illustrate that God's purposes often work through ordinary families to accomplish extraordinary things.