Socoh - See a town of this name, Joshua 15:35 (note).

And in the mountains,.... The hill country of Judea, as it is called Luke 1:39, in which were the following cities:
Shamir: the Alexandrian copy of the Greek version reads Sophir as the name, of the first of these cities; and Jerom says (d) there was a village of this name in the mountainous parts, situated between Eleutheropolis, and Ashkelon in the tribe of Judah; see Micah 1:11,
and Jattir the same writer calls Jether, in the tribe of Judah; and says (e) there was in his time a very large village called Jethira, twenty miles from Eleutheropolis, the inhabitants of which were then all Christians: it was situated in interior Daroma, near Malatha:
and Socoh is different from Socoh in Joshua 15:35; that was in the plain, this in the mountain; See Gill on Joshua 15:35.
(d) De loc. Hebrews. fol. 94. I. (e) Ibid. fol. 92. l.

Shamir has probably been preserved in the ruins of Um Shaumerah, mentioned by Robinson (iii. App.), though the situation of these ruins has not yet been precisely determined. Jattir, which was given up to the priests (Joshua 21:14), and is mentioned again in 1-Samuel 30:27, is described in the Onom. (s. v. Jether) as a large placed inhabited by Christians, twenty miles from Eleutheropolis, in interiori Daroma juxta Malathan, - a description which suits the ruins of Attir, in the southern portion of the mountains (see Rob. ii. p. 194; called Ater by Seetzen, R. iii. p. 6). Socoh, two hours N.W. of this, the present Shuweikeh (Rob. ii. p. 194), called Suche by Seetzen (R. iii. p. 29), a village about four hours from Hebron.

The mountains - That is, in the higher grounds called mountains or hills, in comparison of the sea - coast.