And he laid his hands upon him: See verse 18, which has “hand” instead of hands.

And commissioned him: See verse 19.

As the LORD directed through Moses is literally “just as the LORD had spoken by the hand of Moses” (compare 16.40). This idiomatic expression emphasizes Moses’ obedience since it repeats the same idea as the first clause of the previous verse. It may be rendered “Moses did just as the LORD had commanded him.”

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .