diff --git a/maven-embedder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java b/maven-embedder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java
index 633d53310f..a27517b8e8 100644
--- a/maven-embedder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java
+++ b/maven-embedder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 import org.apache.commons.cli.CommandLine;
 import org.apache.commons.cli.ParseException;
 import org.apache.commons.cli.UnrecognizedOptionException;
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.ArrayUtils;
 import org.apache.maven.BuildAbort;
 import org.apache.maven.InternalErrorException;
 import org.apache.maven.Maven;
@@ -542,7 +543,9 @@ else if ( MavenExecutionRequest.CHECKSUM_POLICY_FAIL.equals( cliRequest.request.
         }
     }
 
-    private void properties( CliRequest cliRequest )
+    //Needed to make this method package visible to make writing a unit test possible
+    //Maybe it's better to move some of those methods to separate class (SoC).
+    void properties( CliRequest cliRequest )
     {
         populateProperties( cliRequest.commandLine, cliRequest.systemProperties, cliRequest.userProperties );
     }
@@ -1581,9 +1584,14 @@ static void populateProperties( CommandLine commandLine, Properties systemProper
         if ( commandLine.hasOption( CLIManager.SET_SYSTEM_PROPERTY ) )
         {
             String[] defStrs = commandLine.getOptionValues( CLIManager.SET_SYSTEM_PROPERTY );
-
+            
             if ( defStrs != null )
             {
+                //The following is needed to get precedence
+                //of properties which are defined on command line
+                //over properties defined in the .mvn/maven.config. 
+                ArrayUtils.reverse( defStrs );
+                
                 for ( String defStr : defStrs )
                 {
                     setCliProperty( defStr, userProperties );
diff --git a/maven-embedder/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCliTest.java b/maven-embedder/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCliTest.java
index c8d75b1040..d92662494d 100644
--- a/maven-embedder/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCliTest.java
+++ b/maven-embedder/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCliTest.java
@@ -21,10 +21,10 @@
 
 import java.io.File;
 
-import junit.framework.TestCase;
-
 import org.apache.commons.cli.ParseException;
 
+import junit.framework.TestCase;
+
 public class MavenCliTest
     extends TestCase
 {
@@ -81,8 +81,8 @@ public void testMavenConfig()
         // read .mvn/maven.config
         cli.initialize( request );
         cli.cli( request );
-        assertEquals( "multithreaded", request.commandLine.getOptionValue( "builder" ) );
-        assertEquals( "8", request.commandLine.getOptionValue( "threads" ) );
+        assertEquals( "multithreaded", request.commandLine.getOptionValue( CLIManager.BUILDER ) );
+        assertEquals( "8", request.commandLine.getOptionValue( CLIManager.THREADS ) );
 
         // override from command line
         request = new CliRequest( new String[] { "--builder", "foobar" }, null );
@@ -107,4 +107,49 @@ public void testMavenConfigInvalid()
 
         }
     }
+    
+    /**
+     * Read .mvn/maven.config with the following definitions:
+     * <pre>
+     *   -T 3
+     *   -Drevision=1.3.0
+     * </pre>
+     * and check if the {@code -T 3} option can be overwritten via command line
+     * argument.
+     * @throws Exception in case of failure.
+     */
+    public void testMVNConfigurationThreadCanBeOverwrittenViaCommandLine() throws Exception {
+        System.setProperty( MavenCli.MULTIMODULE_PROJECT_DIRECTORY, new File( "src/test/projects/mavenConfigProperties" ).getCanonicalPath() );
+        CliRequest request = new CliRequest( new String[]{ "-T", "5" }, null );
+
+        cli.initialize( request );
+        // read .mvn/maven.config
+        cli.cli( request );
+        
+        assertEquals( "5", request.commandLine.getOptionValue( CLIManager.THREADS ) );
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Read .mvn/maven.config with the following definitions:
+     * <pre>
+     *   -T 3
+     *   -Drevision=1.3.0
+     * </pre>
+     * and check if the {@code -Drevision-1.3.0} option can be overwritten via command line
+     * argument.
+     * @throws Exception
+     */
+    public void testMVNConfigurationDefinedPropertiesCanBeOverwrittenViaCommandLine() throws Exception {
+        System.setProperty( MavenCli.MULTIMODULE_PROJECT_DIRECTORY, new File( "src/test/projects/mavenConfigProperties" ).getCanonicalPath() );
+        CliRequest request = new CliRequest( new String[]{ "-Drevision=8.1.0"}, null );
+
+        cli.initialize( request );
+        // read .mvn/maven.config
+        cli.cli( request );
+        cli.properties( request );
+        
+        String revision = System.getProperty( "revision" );
+        assertEquals( "8.1.0", revision );
+
+    }
 }
diff --git a/maven-embedder/src/test/projects/mavenConfigProperties/.mvn/maven.config b/maven-embedder/src/test/projects/mavenConfigProperties/.mvn/maven.config
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c73de53aeb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/maven-embedder/src/test/projects/mavenConfigProperties/.mvn/maven.config
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+-T 3
+-Drevision=1.3.0
+