ma.ha.lum.mah denotes blows associated with a fool's strife or punishment.

The term refers to blows, whether summoned by a fool’s contentious speech or prepared as punishment for fools.

1. Blows in strife and punishment · dominant

   Both occurrences use the feminine plural absolute form in statements concerning fools. In Proverbs 18:6 the APB renders the clause “his mouth summons blows,” while in Proverbs 19:29 it renders “blows for the backs of fools,” placing the term in contexts of conflict and punitive consequences.

   Proverbs 18:6Proverbs 19:29

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term as “blows” in both verses: one clause concerns a fool’s mouth summoning them, and the other assigns them to fools’ backs.