The Wealth That Bows: Unlocking the Hidden Prince

Beloved seeker, there is a word spoken only once in all of Scripture, and it carries the weight of empires. The Hebrew chashman appears but a single time — a solitary treasure buried in the poetry of King David. Its usage count is one, yet its meaning echoes through the ages. The sages of old have pondered this rare gem, for when the Holy One speaks sparingly, He speaks with intention. The word chashman comes from a root that speaks of being firm, capacious, and rich in resources — not merely wealthy in silver and gold, but wealthy in substance and strength. It is the kind of wealth that does not hoard, but rather bows.

From the Depths of Egypt: The First and Only Appearance

Turn your eyes to the Psalms, to that great song of Israel’s deliverance. In Psalm 68, verse 31, the Spirit speaks through David: “Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.” The word translated here as “princes” is our chashman. This is not a proud monarch striding forth with scepter raised. The ancient Hebrew letters paint a different picture. The chet — a fence, a boundary — suggests something enclosed, protected. The shin — a tooth, a consuming fire — speaks of transformation. The mem — waters, chaos made ordered — and the nun — a seed, life springing forth. Together, these letters whisper of a wealth that is fenced in by covenant, refined by fire, and birthed through waters. The princes of Egypt, the sages teach, were not coming to conquer but to surrender. Their wealth was their recognition of the True King.

The Wealth That Changes Hands

The Strong’s definition calls this word “wealthy,” and the King James translators saw “princes.” But consider the deeper current. In the ancient Hebrew mind, a prince was not merely one who ruled; a prince was one who carried the wealth of his people. The chashman is not the wealth of a tyrant who seizes, but the wealth of a steward who distributes. When Egypt’s princes come out of Egypt, they are not plundering — they are presenting. They stretch out their hands, not to take, but to offer. Jewish tradition holds that this verse speaks of a future day when the nations will flow to Zion, bringing their riches not as tribute to a conqueror, but as offerings to the Most High. The wealth of chashman is wealth that has been transformed from a weapon into a gift.

The Firm Foundation of True Riches

Consider the unused root from which chashman derives — a root meaning firm and capacious. The rabbis of old observed that true wealth is not measured by what you hold, but by what holds you. A man may grasp gold, but if his soul is not firm in the covenant, the gold will slip through his fingers like desert sand. The Tabernacle itself was built with wealth freely given — gold, silver, precious stones — but that wealth was only holy because it was surrendered. The chashman is not the wealth of Pharaoh’s storehouses; it is the wealth of hearts made firm in faith. When you read in Genesis of Abraham, who was rich in cattle, silver, and gold, you see a man whose wealth served the promise. His riches did not define him; his covenant defined his riches.

The Number of the Prince: Gematria 398

The gematria of chashman is 398. Let the numbers speak to your spirit. The number 398 can be understood as 300 + 90 + 8. The number 300 in Scripture is the number of the shin — the letter of divine fire, the Spirit of God. The number 90 is the letter tsadi — righteousness, the humble servant who bends low. The number 8 is the number of new beginnings, of the eighth day of creation, of the resurrection. When you add these together, you find a prince who is filled with the fire of the Spirit, who bows in righteousness, and who brings forth a new creation. The sages have meditated on such numbers, seeing in them the fingerprints of the Holy One. The word chashman shares its numerical value with the concept of a “blessing of provision” — a reminder that the wealth of the prince is always a channel for blessing others.

The Prince Who Came Out of Egypt

Now let your heart leap across the ages. The Psalmist sang of princes coming out of Egypt, and the prophets echoed this cry. But who is the ultimate Prince who came out of Egypt? The Gospel of Matthew tells you that when Yeshua was a child, Joseph took Him and His mother and fled to Egypt, and later returned. “Out of Egypt I called My Son,” the prophet Hosea had declared. The Messiah, the true chashman, came forth from the land of bondage not as a conqueror with armies, but as a child with empty hands. Yet His wealth was infinite. He was firm in His purpose, capacious in His mercy, and rich in grace. The early church understood that Yeshua fulfilled this Psalm in a deeper way — He is the Prince who not only came out of Egypt but who causes the princes of every nation to bow. When the Magi came from the East, they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were the first of the nations to stretch out their hands to the infant King, acknowledging His chashman — His royal wealth of humility.

The Ethiopian’s Stretched Hands

The Psalm also speaks of Ethiopia stretching out her hands to God. The apostolic tradition teaches that this prophecy found its fulfillment in the Ethiopian eunuch whom Philip baptized. Here was a man of great authority, a treasurer of the queen of Ethiopia — a true chashman, a wealthy prince. Yet he stretched out his hands, not to grasp, but to receive the water of baptism. He came out of his Egypt, out of his wealth and his power, and bowed before the Lamb of God. The rabbis of old would say that this is the deepest meaning of chashman: wealth that acknowledges its Source. The Ethiopian did not cling to his status; he released it. His hands, once used to count gold, were now stretched out to receive the true treasure — the knowledge of Messiah.

Your Wealth, Your Bowing

And now, beloved, the word turns to you. What is your chashman? What wealth has the Holy One placed in your hands? It may be gold, but it may also be wisdom, time, influence, or the simple gift of a faithful heart. The question is not how much you possess, but whether your wealth will come out of Egypt — out of the world’s system of grasping and hoarding — and bow before the King. Stretch out your hands today. Do not clutch your treasure; open your palms. Let the Prince of Peace transform your riches into offerings. For the only wealth that endures is the wealth that is surrendered. The only prince who truly reigns is the one who first bows. May your chashman be firm in faith, capacious in love, and rich in the service of the One who called you out of your own Egypt. Go now, and let your hands be open.