The Hebrew hapax legomenon ashman (אַשְׁמָן) appears only once in the Old Testament (Isaiah 59:10) and has been variously translated as "fat places," "desolate places," or "prosperous areas." The word's precise meaning is uncertain, but context suggests places that were once prosperous or fat (fertile) but are now stumbling grounds for the spiritually blind.
Isaiah 59:10 uses the word in a lament about sin's consequences — the people grope in darkness like the blind, stumbling even in places that should be illuminated. The passage is a profound confession of communal sin and moral blindness. Theologically, ashman illustrates how sin blinds people even to the most obvious realities — they stumble where they should thrive. This passage is part of the great prophetic indictment leading up to Isaiah 59:20-21, which Paul quotes in Romans 11:26-27 regarding Israel's future redemption.