Socoh

Biblical Text

Socoh was the name of a town in the territory of the tribe of Judah. The name appears in several passages of Scripture, but not every occurrence refers to the same place.

• Joshua 15:35: In the list of the towns of the tribe of Judah, Socoh appears among the towns of the lowland (the western foothills), together with Adullam and Azekah.
• Joshua 15:48: Socoh also appears in the list of towns in the hill country. Although it bears the same name, it is regarded as a separate town in a different location.
• 1 Samuel 17:1: The Philistines gathered at Socoh, which belonged to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. The scene that follows is the battle of David and Goliath.
• 1 Kings 4:10: Socoh appears as part of one of the administrative districts of Solomon. Scholars differ as to which Socoh is meant here.
• 2 Chronicles 11:7: It is listed among the cities that Rehoboam built as fortresses for the defense of Judah.
• 2 Chronicles 28:18: It is included in the list of towns the Philistines captured when they invaded the lowland of Judah during the reign of King Ahaz.

The name Socoh also appears in the genealogy of Judah in 1 Chronicles 4:18. Many interpreters understand this name not as a personal name but as a designation for the founder or ancestral head of the town.

Background

The Socoh of 1 Samuel 17 lay in the foothill region between the hill country of Judah and the Philistine coastal plain. Situated along the Valley of Elah, it stood on a route where the two powers could easily clash. This terrain is generally understood to explain why the Philistines encamped there while the army of Saul encamped on the opposite side. The accounts of Rehoboam fortifying the site and of the Philistines later capturing it likewise show that the area was a strategic point for border defense.

A widely known view identifies the site with Khirbet Shuweikeh, on a hill south of the Valley of Elah, though scholars differ. One of the place names found on the so-called lmlk ("belonging to the king") seal impressions stamped on ancient Judahite jar handles is also read as Socoh. The precise meaning of the Hebrew name is uncertain.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Socoh is significant less as a place name carrying a theological theme than as the setting of events. It is remembered especially as the geographical backdrop of the account of David's victory over Goliath. The place name Socoh does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretive Issues and Distinctions

• Several towns with the same name: Reading every occurrence of Socoh in Scripture as the Socoh of the Valley of Elah leads to confusion. Joshua 15 alone lists a Socoh in the lowland and a separate Socoh in the hill country.
• Distinction from the instrument sogo: In the New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong), the Korean word sogo also denotes a small hand drum (a percussion instrument of the tambourine type), rendered "timbrel" in the KJV. An example is Exodus 15:20, where Miriam takes a timbrel in her hand and dances. This is a different word from the place name treated in this article. The sogo in the expression "sogo dance," as used in Korean churches, likewise refers to the instrument.