diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/publish/PublishClusterStateAction.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/publish/PublishClusterStateAction.java
index c2407081ff3..f7e0060c769 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/publish/PublishClusterStateAction.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/publish/PublishClusterStateAction.java
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ public class PublishClusterStateAction extends AbstractComponent {
 
         if (currentNodes.getLocalNode().equals(incomingState.nodes().getLocalNode()) == false) {
             logger.warn("received a cluster state from [{}] and not part of the cluster, should not happen", incomingState.nodes().getMasterNode());
-            throw new IllegalStateException("received state from local node that does not match the current local node");
+            throw new IllegalStateException("received state with a local node that does not match the current local node");
         }
 
         ZenDiscovery.validateStateIsFromCurrentMaster(logger, currentNodes, incomingState);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/publish/PublishClusterStateActionTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/publish/PublishClusterStateActionTests.java
index 21e20228f34..44dcd9ecfff 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/publish/PublishClusterStateActionTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/zen/publish/PublishClusterStateActionTests.java
@@ -635,7 +635,7 @@ public class PublishClusterStateActionTests extends ESTestCase {
             node.action.validateIncomingState(state, node.clusterState);
             fail("node accepted state with non-existence local node");
         } catch (IllegalStateException OK) {
-            assertThat(OK.toString(), containsString("received state from local node that does not match the current local node"));
+            assertThat(OK.toString(), containsString("received state with a local node that does not match the current local node"));
         }
 
         try {
@@ -646,7 +646,7 @@ public class PublishClusterStateActionTests extends ESTestCase {
             node.action.validateIncomingState(state, node.clusterState);
             fail("node accepted state with existent but wrong local node");
         } catch (IllegalStateException OK) {
-            assertThat(OK.toString(), containsString("received state from local node that does not match the current local node"));
+            assertThat(OK.toString(), containsString("received state with a local node that does not match the current local node"));
         }
 
         logger.info("--> testing acceptance of an old cluster state");