<strong>SOCO, SOCOH</strong> (sō'kō, Heb. <em>sōkhōh, branches</em>)<br /><br />

One of the cities given to the tribe of Judah (<bibleref ref="Josh.15.35">Josh.15.35</bibleref>). Later, King Rehoboam strengthened this city after the northern tribes had revolted (<bibleref ref="2Chr.11.7">2Chr.11.7</bibleref>). From this city Solomon drew his supplies (<bibleref ref="1Kgs.4.10">1Kgs.4.10</bibleref>). It is identified with Khirbet Shuweikeh.About ten miles (seventeen km.) SW of Hebron lies another city by this name (<bibleref ref="Josh.15.48">Josh.15.48</bibleref>).

2. A town in the Shephelah near Azekah (<bibleref ref="Josh.15.35">Josh 15:35</bibleref>) on the <span class="auto-link">[[Valley of Elah]]</span>, modern Wadi es-Sant. The name is preserved in another Khirbet Shuweikeh, although the actual site is prob. Khirbet ’Abbad, slightly to the W. <bibleref ref="1Sam.17.1">1 Samuel 17:1</bibleref> relates how the Philistines, with Goliath, took over Socoh and then “encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim,” when preparing to attack the armies of Israel. Soco was one of the cities that Rehoboam repossessed and fortified after the revolt of the northern tribes (<bibleref ref="2Chr.11.7">2 Chron 11:7</bibleref>). It was retaken by the Philistines in the reign of Ahaz (<bibleref ref="2Chr.28.18">2 Chron 28:18</bibleref>).

3. A city in the Sharon Plain under the administration of Ben-hesed in the time of Solomon (<bibleref ref="1Kgs.4.10">1 Kings 4:10</bibleref>). This Socoh is prob. no. 67 in the topographical list of Thut-mose III and no. 38 in the list of Shishak. It has been identified with modern Khirbet Shuweikeh, a little N of modern Tul-Karem.<br /><br />

4. In <bibleref ref="1Chr.4.18">1 Chronicles 4:18</bibleref> it is difficult to know whether Soco is the name of a person or place. It occurs in a genealogy of the “sons of Judah,” yet some of the other names listed are place names in S Judah (cf. <bibleref ref="Josh.15.48-Josh.15.58">Josh 15:48-58</bibleref>). Either the person took his name from the town (see 1 above), or “the sons of various clans are mentioned along with the names of their respective settlements in such a way that a clansman becomes the father of the place occupied” (Y. Aharoni, <em>The Land of the Bible</em>, 225).<br /><br />

<h2>Bibliography</h2>

G. A. Smith, <em>The Historical Geography of the Holy Land</em> (1931, 1966), 143-162, 460-463; IDB, R-Z (1962), 395; Y. Aharoni, <em>The Land of The Bible, A Historical Geography</em> (1962, 1967), 22f., 45-55, 98-110, 149-155, 226f., 250-255, 288-300, 328-364.<br /><br />

<h2>International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)</h2>

(sokkhoh, "branches"), (sokho (in Chronicles only); Socho, most usual, but many forms in Septuagint and in the <span class="auto-link">[[King James Version]]</span>: Socoh, Shochoh, Shoco, Shocho):

(1) A city in the Shephelah of Judah mentioned along with Jarmuth, Adullam, Azekah, etc. (<bibleref ref="Josh.15.35">Jos 15:35</bibleref>); the Philistines "gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah" (<bibleref ref="1Sam.17.1">1Sa 17:1</bibleref>); it is mentioned as one of the districts from which Solomon drew his supplies (<bibleref ref="1Kgs.4.10">1Ki 4:10</bibleref>, the King James Version "Sochoh"); the association of Socoh in this verse with Hepher is worth noticing in connection with <bibleref ref="1Chr.4.18">1Ch 4:18</bibleref> ("Heber"). Soco (the King James Version "Shoco") was one of the cities fortified by Rehoboam for the defense of Judah (<bibleref ref="2Chr.11.7">2Ch 11:7</bibleref>); it was captured by the Philistines in the time of Ahaz (<bibleref ref="2Chr.28.18">2Ch 28:18</bibleref>). The site is, without doubt, Khirbet esh Shuweikeh (Shuweikeh is a diminutive of Shaukeh, "a thorn"), a rounded, elongated hilltop, showing clear traces of ancient city walls. The situation is one of considerable natural strength on the south side of the <span class="auto-link">[[Vale of Elah]]</span> just where the Wady ec Cur makes a sweep to the West and becomes the Wady es Sunt. Like so many such ancient sites, the hill has very steep slopes on 3 sides (South, West, and North), and is isolated from the ridge of higher ground to the East by a narrow neck of lower ground. In the valley to the Southwest is a plentiful spring. The site was known to Jerome in the 4th century. He described it as 8 or 9 Roman miles from Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrin) (PEF, III, 53, 125, Sh XVII, BR, II, 21). The Sucathites (<bibleref ref="1Chr.2.55">1Ch 2:55</bibleref>) were probably inhabitants of Soco.

(2) A city of Judah in the South, associated (<bibleref ref="Josh.15.48">Jos 15:48</bibleref>) with Shamir and Jattir. This is doubtless Khirbet Shuweikeh, a large ruin occupying a low hill, 10 miles Southwest of Hebron; there are many caves and rock-cut cisterns as well as drafted stones. Cheyne doubtfully locates the Socoh of <bibleref ref="1Kgs.4.10">1Ki 4:10</bibleref> here. See <em>PEF, 404, 410, S</em>h XXV; B R, I, 494.<br /><br />