Unlike other names derived from Sumerian, the name of the Jaredite king Levi appears to be a name provided by the Nephites from the biblical Hebrew name Levi. There is only one Levi in the Old Testament, namely, the third son of Jacob with Leah (Genesis 29:34), who gave rise to the priestly caste of the Levites. Specifically, the assumed root for Levi is לו ה (lwh), which occurs all over the Semitic spectrum. It exists in Arabic, meaning “to turn, twist or wind,” and in Assyrian as “to surround or encircle.” In biblical Hebrew, it is not used as a verb but gives rise to the words לויה (liwya) and להי (loya), both meaning “wreath” (Proverbs 1:9, 4:9; 1 Kings 7:29). Although the wreath is an item that is typically coiled or twisted, both ends are also joined to make a circle (www.abarim-publications.com 2015b). This corresponds very well with the headdress of SL-3. In addition, other Semitic etymologies are indicative of a priest:
The Hebrew root lwh, “to accompany“ in the qal, and the Mari (Old Babylonian) PN lawi-AN with the Old South Arabic lwʾ, “priest,” might suggest a meaning such as “pledged/priest of God.” (Book of Mormon Onomasticon 2017)
The priestly skullcap portion, along with the rest of the headdress, obviously brings to mind the modern Jewish skullcap; however, Jewish head coverings that are consistent with this headdress go back to ancient times:
Head Coverings in Ancient Israelite Culture
The Israelites on Sennacherib’s [king of Assyria from 705 BCE to 681 BCE] marble relief appear with headdress, and although the ambassadors of Jehu on the Shalmaneser stele have head coverings, their costume seems to be Israelite. One passage of the older literature is of significance: I Kings 20:31 mentions חֲבלָ יםִ havalim, which are placed around the head. This calls to mind pictures of Syrians on Egyptian monuments, represented wearing a cord around their long, flowing hair, a custom still followed in Arabia.
Evidently the costume of the poorest classes is represented; but as the cord gave no protection against the heat of the sun, there is little probability that the custom lasted very long. Much more common was the simple cloth skullcap, dating back to Egyptian times when those of high society routinely shaved their heads, to prevent lice. Conversely, their skullcaps then served as protection against irritation from their wigs.
The Israelites might have worn a headdress similar to that worn by the Bedouins, but it is unknown whether a fixed type of headdress was utilized. That the headdress of the Israelites might have been in the fellah style may be inferred from the use of the noun צַנ יִף tzanif (the verb tzanaf meaning “to roll like a ball”, Isaiah 22:18) and by the verb חַבּשָ habash (“to wind”, comp. Ezekiel 16:10; Jonah 2:6). As to the form of such turbans, nothing is known, and they may have varied according to the different classes of society. This was customary with the Assyrians and Babylonians, for example, whose fashions likely influenced the costume of the Israelites—particularly during and after the Babylonian Exile. (Wikipedia 2017a)
SL-3 has been described as having the “face of apparent maturity,” corresponding to Levi living to a good old age (Ether 10:16). The fact that Levi is an exclusively Hebrew name and fits the motifs on the colossal head so well may be an indicator that king Levi (and perhaps others) may have derived the name among the Nephites based on the appearance of the head itself and the observation of the head by the Nephites. (Jerry D. Grover, Jr., The Swords of Shule: Jaredite Land Northward Chronology, Geography, and Culture in Mesoamerica [Provo, Utah: Challex Scientific Publishing, 2018], 257-58)
