Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Desolation, a place in the mountains of Judah (Josh. 15:59), probably the modern village Beit Ummar, 6 miles north of Hebron.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898) & Schaff's Bible Dictionary
MA'ARATH (open place), a town in the mountains of Judah. Josh 15:59. The Pal. Memoirs suggest Beit Ummar, 7 miles north of Hebron, as its site.
Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869)
den; making empty; watching