# He laid his hands on him and commanded him to lead
"He" refers to Moses, and "him" refers to Joshua.
# He laid his hands on him
The laying on of hands was a way of setting a person apart to do a special task for God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction]])
# to lead
You can make clear the understood information to lead the people. Alternate translation: "to lead the people" or "to be the leader of the Israelites" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
# as Yahweh had commanded him to do
Here "him" refers to Moses.