בשעה טובה
be-sha-A to-VA
"at a good hour" — blessing on a pregnancy/venture.
What does it literally mean — and what do Israelis actually mean?
What it literally means
Literal: "at a good hour."
אנחנו מצפים לתינוק — בשעה טובה!Anachnu metzapim la-tinok — besha'a tova!We're expecting a baby — at a good hour!
What Israelis actually mean
"may it come at a lucky time" — a blessing on things not yet completed.
בשעה טובה נחנוך את העסק החדש בחודש הבא.Besha'a tova nachnoch et ha-esek he-chadash ba-chodesh ha-ba.God willing at a good hour, we'll open the new business next month.
Where did this word come from?
Traditional Jewish blessing "at a good [and auspicious] hour" — said at the announcement of a pregnancy (distinct from mazal tov, reserved for after the birth in Ashkenazi custom), and on launching ventures. Documented in Ashkenazi and Sephardi custom literature; the cautious logic — don't congratulate before the outcome — is a real folk rule (Rosten's Joys of Yiddish popularized the distinction in English).
Register & social context
Traditional-warm; everyday among traditional speakers. Saying "mazal tov" on a pregnancy announcement marks you as an outsider in traditional circles — besha'a tova is the correct blessing until the birth. The superstition-management is the point.
Root & morphology
ב (in/at) + שעה (sha'a, hour) + טובה (good, f.).
Influences & contact languages
- Hebrew (עברית, Ivrit)Rabbinic/customary Hebrew blessing formula.
- Yiddish (ייִדיש)Yiddish besha'atova carried the custom through Ashkenaz (Rosten documented the mazal-tov distinction).
Which places are associated with this word?
This word travels through people, not places — so we don't pin it.
See where it lives in the language constellationHear it in the wild
אנחנו מצפים לתינוק — בשעה טובה!
Anachnu metzapim la-tinok — besha'a tova!
We're expecting a baby — at a good hour!
בשעה טובה נחנוך את העסק החדש בחודש הבא.
Besha'a tova nachnoch et ha-esek he-chadash ba-chodesh ha-ba.
God willing at a good hour, we'll open the new business next month.
What English speakers get wrong
Saying "mazal tov" on a pregnancy announcement marks you as an outsider in traditional circles — besha'a tova is the correct blessing until the birth. The superstition-management is the point.
What lives next to this word?
See the language constellation
Follow this word into a guided story
Sources & review
Want to use this word? Understand it inside a full sentence — Open Baba →