15 Ethnic Varieties listed in Acts 2

In Acts 2:7-11 Luke lists the various groupings represented in Jerusalem at the time the Holy Spriit was poured out. He says

Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?

Parthians,
Medes
and Elamites;
residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea
and Cappadocia,
Pontus
and Asia,
Phrygia
and Pamphylia,
Egypt
and the parts of Libya near Cyrene;
visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism);
Cretans
and Arabs

- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"

If each reference points to one language and we assume that Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew were also spoken, then one person from each group of about six among the 120 would need to speak in that language. Perhaps as many as 120 different languages were spoken.

No doubt Luke bases his list on the 70 in Genesis 10, updating and selecting as he felt was right.

5 sons of Shem and their descendants, Genesis 10

Genesis 10:21-32

Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.

The sons of Shem: Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.

  The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.

  Arphaxad was the father of Shelah

       and Shelah the father of Eber.

          Two sons were born to Eber:

               One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided;

               his brother was named Joktan.Joktan was the father of

                      Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael,                                 Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab.

All these were sons of Joktan. The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

4 sons of Ham and their descendants, Genesis 10

Genesis 10:6-20

The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.

  The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka.

      The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD." ...
(verses 10-12 omitted)

  Egypt was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.

  Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn,
 and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites    and Hamathites.
 Later the Canaanite clans scattered and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.

These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

7 sons of Japheth and their descendants, Genesis 10

Genesis 10:1-5

This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras.

  The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.

 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites. (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)