diff --git a/openjpa-jdbc/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/jdbc/kernel/exps/PCPath.java b/openjpa-jdbc/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/jdbc/kernel/exps/PCPath.java
index f3cdabd26..4225e55da 100644
--- a/openjpa-jdbc/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/jdbc/kernel/exps/PCPath.java
+++ b/openjpa-jdbc/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/jdbc/kernel/exps/PCPath.java
@@ -245,6 +245,13 @@ class PCPath
             : _class.getPrimaryKeyColumns();
     }
 
+    public boolean isVariable() {
+        if (_actions == null)
+            return false;
+        Action action = (Action) _actions.getLast();
+        return action.op == Action.UNBOUND_VAR || action.op == Action.VAR; 
+    }
+
     public void get(FieldMetaData field, boolean nullTraversal) {
         if (_actions == null)
             _actions = new LinkedList();
diff --git a/openjpa-jdbc/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/jdbc/meta/MappingTool.java b/openjpa-jdbc/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/jdbc/meta/MappingTool.java
index 29edc6b6d..8c2b2dcde 100644
--- a/openjpa-jdbc/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/jdbc/meta/MappingTool.java
+++ b/openjpa-jdbc/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/jdbc/meta/MappingTool.java
@@ -660,8 +660,8 @@ public class MappingTool
         ClassMapping mapping = repos.getMapping(cls, null, false);
         if (mapping != null)
             return mapping;
-        if (!validate || cls.isInterface() || 
-            repos.getPersistenceAware(cls) != null)
+        if (!validate || cls.isInterface() 
+            || repos.getPersistenceAware(cls) != null)
             return null;
         throw new MetaDataException(_loc.get("no-meta", cls));
     }
diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/ExpressionStoreQuery.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/ExpressionStoreQuery.java
index 588551c2c..8031cf989 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/ExpressionStoreQuery.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/ExpressionStoreQuery.java
@@ -299,6 +299,10 @@ public class ExpressionStoreQuery
          * Throw proper exception if given value is a collection/map/array.
          */
         protected void assertNotContainer(Value val, StoreQuery q) {
+            // variables represent container elements, not the container itself
+            if (val.isVariable())
+                return;
+
             Class type;
             if (val instanceof Path) {
                 FieldMetaData fmd = ((Path) val).last();
diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/jpql/JPQLExpressionBuilder.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/jpql/JPQLExpressionBuilder.java
index 40c0e3899..3a013e5f5 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/jpql/JPQLExpressionBuilder.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/jpql/JPQLExpressionBuilder.java
@@ -1358,7 +1358,7 @@ class JPQLExpressionBuilder
         // determind how to evauate a variabe
         if (!val.isVariable())
             return val;
-        else if (handleVar == VAR_PATH)
+        else if (handleVar == VAR_PATH && !(val instanceof Path))
             return newPath(val, val.getMetaData());
         else if (handleVar == VAR_ERROR)
             throw parseException(EX_USER, "unexpected-var",
diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/meta/MetaDataRepository.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/meta/MetaDataRepository.java
index 973a2a7e6..ae7c325df 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/meta/MetaDataRepository.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/meta/MetaDataRepository.java
@@ -92,11 +92,6 @@ public class MetaDataRepository
     private static final Localizer _loc = Localizer.forPackage
         (MetaDataRepository.class);
 
-    // number of metadatas that have been registered thus far. This does not
-    // include dynamically-generated subclasses; it is just the count of
-    // user-created metadatas that were registered.
-    private int _count = 0;
-
     // system sequence
     private SequenceMetaData _sysSeq = null;
 
@@ -742,7 +737,6 @@ public class MetaDataRepository
             if (_pawares.containsKey(cls))
                 throw new MetaDataException(_loc.get("pc-and-aware", cls));
             _metas.put(cls, meta);
-            _count++;
         }
         return meta;
     }
@@ -863,7 +857,6 @@ public class MetaDataRepository
             Class impl = (Class) _ifaces.remove(cls);
             if (impl != null)
                 _metas.remove(impl);
-            _count--;
             return true;
         }
         return false;