diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ShardValidateQueryRequest.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ShardValidateQueryRequest.java
index bd3c22cc303..f56fecc7db7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ShardValidateQueryRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ShardValidateQueryRequest.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 package org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.validate.query;
 
+import org.elasticsearch.Version;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.BroadcastShardOperationRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Nullable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ class ShardValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastShardOperationRequest {
     private BytesReference querySource;
     private String[] types = Strings.EMPTY_ARRAY;
     private boolean explain;
+    private long nowInMillis;
 
     @Nullable
     private String[] filteringAliases;
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@ class ShardValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastShardOperationRequest {
         this.types = request.types();
         this.explain = request.explain();
         this.filteringAliases = filteringAliases;
+        this.nowInMillis = request.nowInMillis;
     }
 
     public BytesReference querySource() {
@@ -68,6 +71,10 @@ class ShardValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastShardOperationRequest {
         return filteringAliases;
     }
 
+    public long nowInMillis() {
+        return this.nowInMillis;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void readFrom(StreamInput in) throws IOException {
         super.readFrom(in);
@@ -89,6 +96,12 @@ class ShardValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastShardOperationRequest {
         }
 
         explain = in.readBoolean();
+
+        if (in.getVersion().onOrAfter(Version.V_0_90_6)) {
+            nowInMillis = in.readVLong();
+        } else {
+            nowInMillis = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -110,5 +123,9 @@ class ShardValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastShardOperationRequest {
         }
 
         out.writeBoolean(explain);
+
+        if (out.getVersion().onOrAfter(Version.V_0_90_6)) {
+            out.writeVLong(nowInMillis);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/TransportValidateQueryAction.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/TransportValidateQueryAction.java
index 8965140389e..f38fb08a58a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/TransportValidateQueryAction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/TransportValidateQueryAction.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.validate.query;
 
 import jsr166y.ThreadLocalRandom;
 import org.elasticsearch.ElasticSearchException;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.ActionListener;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.ShardOperationFailedException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.DefaultShardOperationFailedException;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.BroadcastShardOperationFailedException;
@@ -73,6 +74,12 @@ public class TransportValidateQueryAction extends TransportBroadcastOperationAct
         this.cacheRecycler = cacheRecycler;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    protected void doExecute(ValidateQueryRequest request, ActionListener<ValidateQueryResponse> listener) {
+        request.nowInMillis = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        super.doExecute(request, listener);
+    }
+
     @Override
     protected String executor() {
         return ThreadPool.Names.SEARCH;
@@ -171,7 +178,7 @@ public class TransportValidateQueryAction extends TransportBroadcastOperationAct
             valid = true;
         } else {
             SearchContext.setCurrent(new DefaultSearchContext(0,
-                    new ShardSearchRequest().types(request.types()),
+                    new ShardSearchRequest().types(request.types()).nowInMillis(request.nowInMillis()),
                     null, indexShard.acquireSearcher(), indexService, indexShard,
                     scriptService, cacheRecycler));
             try {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ValidateQueryRequest.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ValidateQueryRequest.java
index 6c5cd7df20f..6dd0ad64030 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ValidateQueryRequest.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/validate/query/ValidateQueryRequest.java
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ public class ValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastOperationRequest<ValidateQuer
 
     private String[] types = Strings.EMPTY_ARRAY;
 
+    long nowInMillis;
+
     ValidateQueryRequest() {
     }
 
@@ -128,7 +130,6 @@ public class ValidateQueryRequest extends BroadcastOperationRequest<ValidateQuer
     @Required
     public ValidateQueryRequest query(String querySource) {
         this.querySource = new BytesArray(querySource);
-        ;
         this.querySourceUnsafe = false;
         return this;
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/validate/SimpleValidateQueryTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/validate/SimpleValidateQueryTests.java
index 5096c824602..06121b9ea6a 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/validate/SimpleValidateQueryTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/validate/SimpleValidateQueryTests.java
@@ -32,10 +32,15 @@ import org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilders;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.AbstractIntegrationTest;
 import org.hamcrest.Matcher;
+import org.joda.time.DateTime;
+import org.joda.time.DateTimeZone;
+import org.joda.time.format.ISODateTimeFormat;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import static org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilders.queryString;
+import static org.elasticsearch.test.hamcrest.ElasticSearchAssertions.*;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.*;
 
 /**
@@ -227,6 +232,29 @@ public class SimpleValidateQueryTests extends AbstractIntegrationTest {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test //https://github.com/elasticsearch/elasticsearch/issues/3629
+    public void explainDateRangeInQueryString() {
+        client().admin().indices().prepareCreate("test").setSettings(ImmutableSettings.settingsBuilder().put("index.number_of_shards", 1)).get();
+
+        String aMonthAgo = ISODateTimeFormat.yearMonthDay().print(new DateTime(DateTimeZone.UTC).minusMonths(1));
+        String aMonthFromNow = ISODateTimeFormat.yearMonthDay().print(new DateTime(DateTimeZone.UTC).plusMonths(1));
+
+        client().prepareIndex("test", "type", "1").setSource("past", aMonthAgo, "future", aMonthFromNow).get();
+
+        refresh();
+
+        ValidateQueryResponse response = client().admin().indices().prepareValidateQuery()
+                .setQuery(queryString("past:[now-2M/d TO now/d]")).setExplain(true).get();
+
+        assertNoFailures(response);
+        assertThat(response.getQueryExplanation().size(), equalTo(1));
+        assertThat(response.getQueryExplanation().get(0).getError(), nullValue());
+        DateTime twoMonthsAgo = new DateTime(DateTimeZone.UTC).minusMonths(2).withTimeAtStartOfDay();
+        DateTime now = new DateTime(DateTimeZone.UTC).plusDays(1).withTimeAtStartOfDay();
+        assertThat(response.getQueryExplanation().get(0).getExplanation(),
+                equalTo("past:[" + twoMonthsAgo.getMillis() + " TO " + now.getMillis() + "]"));
+        assertThat(response.isValid(), equalTo(true));
+    }
 
     private void assertExplanation(QueryBuilder queryBuilder, Matcher<String> matcher) {
         ValidateQueryResponse response = client().admin().indices().prepareValidateQuery("test")
@@ -239,5 +267,4 @@ public class SimpleValidateQueryTests extends AbstractIntegrationTest {
         assertThat(response.getQueryExplanation().get(0).getExplanation(), matcher);
         assertThat(response.isValid(), equalTo(true));
     }
-
 }