This ethnic designation refers to the Elamites, people from Elam, an ancient kingdom east of Babylon in what is now southwestern Iran. In Acts 2:9, Elamites are among the Jewish pilgrims in Jerusalem at Pentecost who hear the apostles speaking in tongues. Their presence underscores the widespread Jewish diaspora and the international scope of Pentecost's miracle. Elam was a significant ancient civilization, and Jewish communities had existed there since the Babylonian exile.