diff --git a/lib/rexml/xpath_parser.rb b/lib/rexml/xpath_parser.rb
index c5d420ce..75394706 100644
--- a/lib/rexml/xpath_parser.rb
+++ b/lib/rexml/xpath_parser.rb
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ def expr( path_stack, nodeset, context=nil )
             nodesets
           end
         when :preceding_sibling
-          nodeset = step(path_stack, order: :reverse) do
+          nodeset = step(path_stack) do
             nodesets = []
             nodeset.each do |node|
               raw_node = node.raw_node
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ def expr( path_stack, nodeset, context=nil )
             nodesets
           end
         when :preceding
-          nodeset = step(path_stack, order: :reverse) do
+          nodeset = step(path_stack) do
             unnode(nodeset) do |node|
               preceding(node)
             end
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ def expr( path_stack, nodeset, context=nil )
       leave(:expr, path_stack, nodeset) if @debug
     end
 
-    def step(path_stack, any_type: :element, order: :forward)
+    def step(path_stack, any_type: :element)
       nodesets = yield
       begin
         enter(:step, path_stack, nodesets) if @debug
@@ -459,21 +459,19 @@ def step(path_stack, any_type: :element, order: :forward)
           predicate_expression = path_stack.shift.dclone
           nodesets = evaluate_predicate(predicate_expression, nodesets)
         end
-        if nodesets.size == 1
-          ordered_nodeset = nodesets[0]
-        else
-          seen = {}.compare_by_identity
-          raw_nodes = []
-          nodesets.each do |nodeset|
-            nodeset.each do |node|
-              raw_node = node.respond_to?(:raw_node) ? node.raw_node : node
-              next if seen.key?(raw_node)
-              seen[raw_node] = true
-              raw_nodes << raw_node
-            end
+
+        seen = {}.compare_by_identity
+        raw_nodes = []
+        nodesets.each do |nodeset|
+          nodeset.each do |node|
+            raw_node = node.respond_to?(:raw_node) ? node.raw_node : node
+            next if seen.key?(raw_node)
+            seen[raw_node] = true
+            raw_nodes << raw_node
           end
-          ordered_nodeset = sort(raw_nodes, order)
         end
+        ordered_nodeset = sort(raw_nodes)
+
         new_nodeset = []
         ordered_nodeset.each do |node|
           new_nodeset << XPathNode.new(node, position: new_nodeset.size + 1)
@@ -660,7 +658,9 @@ def leave(tag, *args)
     # in and out of function calls.  If I knew what the index of the nodes was,
     # I wouldn't have to do this.  Maybe add a document IDX for each node?
     # Problems with mutable documents.  Or, rewrite everything.
-    def sort(array_of_nodes, order)
+    def sort(array_of_nodes)
+      return array_of_nodes if array_of_nodes.size <= 1
+
       new_arry = []
       array_of_nodes.each { |node|
         node_idx = []
@@ -672,11 +672,7 @@ def sort(array_of_nodes, order)
         new_arry << [ node_idx.reverse, node ]
       }
       ordered = new_arry.sort_by do |index, node|
-        if order == :forward
-          index
-        else
-          index.map(&:-@)
-        end
+        index
       end
       ordered.collect do |_index, node|
         node
diff --git a/test/xpath/test_axis_preceding_sibling.rb b/test/xpath/test_axis_preceding_sibling.rb
index 9c44ad63..2f0ba5d1 100644
--- a/test/xpath/test_axis_preceding_sibling.rb
+++ b/test/xpath/test_axis_preceding_sibling.rb
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ def test_preceding_sibling_axis
       assert_equal "6", context.attributes["id"]
 
       prev = XPath.first(context, "preceding-sibling::f")
-      assert_equal "5", prev.attributes["id"]
+      assert_equal "3", prev.attributes["id"]
 
       prev = XPath.first(context, "preceding-sibling::f[1]")
       assert_equal "5", prev.attributes["id"]
diff --git a/test/xpath/test_base.rb b/test/xpath/test_base.rb
index 1c6eb624..2f0a9f09 100644
--- a/test/xpath/test_base.rb
+++ b/test/xpath/test_base.rb
@@ -382,32 +382,39 @@ def test_preceding
       start = XPath.first( d, "/a/b[@id='1']" )
       assert_equal 'b', start.name
       c = XPath.first( start, "preceding::c" )
-      assert_equal '2', c.attributes['id']
+      assert_equal '0', c.attributes['id']
 
-      c1, c0 = XPath.match( d, "/a/b/c[@id='2']/preceding::node()" )
-      assert_equal '1', c1.attributes['id']
+      b0, b2, c0, c1 = XPath.match( d, "/a/b/c[@id='2']/preceding::node()" )
+      assert_equal 'b', b0.name
+      assert_equal 'b', b2.name
+      assert_equal 'c', c0.name
+      assert_equal 'c', c1.name
+
+      assert_equal '0', b0.attributes['id']
+      assert_equal '2', b2.attributes['id']
       assert_equal '0', c0.attributes['id']
+      assert_equal '1', c1.attributes['id']
 
-      c2, c1, c0, b, b2, b0 = XPath.match( start, "preceding::node()" )
+      b0, b2, b, c0, c1, c2 = XPath.match( start, "preceding::node()" )
 
-      assert_equal 'c', c2.name
-      assert_equal 'c', c1.name
       assert_equal 'c', c0.name
-      assert_equal 'b', b.name
-      assert_equal 'b', b2.name
+      assert_equal 'c', c1.name
+      assert_equal 'c', c2.name
       assert_equal 'b', b0.name
+      assert_equal 'b', b2.name
+      assert_equal 'b', b.name
 
-      assert_equal '2', c2.attributes['id']
-      assert_equal '1', c1.attributes['id']
       assert_equal '0', c0.attributes['id']
-      assert b.attributes.empty?
-      assert_equal '2', b2.attributes['id']
+      assert_equal '1', c1.attributes['id']
+      assert_equal '2', c2.attributes['id']
       assert_equal '0', b0.attributes['id']
+      assert_equal '2', b2.attributes['id']
+      assert b.attributes.empty?
 
       d = REXML::Document.new("<a><b/><c/><d/></a>")
       matches = REXML::XPath.match(d, "/a/d/preceding::node()")
-      assert_equal("c", matches[0].name)
-      assert_equal("b", matches[1].name)
+      assert_equal("b", matches[0].name)
+      assert_equal("c", matches[1].name)
 
       s = "<a><b><c id='1'/></b><b><b><c id='2'/><c id='3'/></b><c id='4'/></b><c id='NOMATCH'><c id='5'/></c></a>"
       d = REXML::Document.new(s)
@@ -425,7 +432,7 @@ def test_preceding_multiple
       XML
       doc = REXML::Document.new(source)
       matches = REXML::XPath.match(doc, "a/d/preceding::*")
-      assert_equal(["d", "c", "b"], matches.map(&:name))
+      assert_equal(["b", "c", "d"], matches.map(&:name))
     end
 
     def test_following_multiple
@@ -498,7 +505,7 @@ def test_preceding_sibling_across_multiple_nodes
       XML
       doc = REXML::Document.new(source)
       matches = REXML::XPath.match(doc, "a/b/x/preceding-sibling::*")
-      assert_equal(["e", "d", "c"], matches.map(&:name))
+      assert_equal(["c", "d", "e"], matches.map(&:name))
     end
 
     def test_preceding_sibling_within_single_node
@@ -511,7 +518,7 @@ def test_preceding_sibling_within_single_node
       XML
       doc = REXML::Document.new(source)
       matches = REXML::XPath.match(doc, "a/b/x/preceding-sibling::*")
-      assert_equal(["e", "x", "d", "c"], matches.map(&:name))
+      assert_equal(["c", "d", "x", "e"], matches.map(&:name))
     end
 
     def test_following
@@ -856,6 +863,30 @@ def test_ordering
                    r.collect {|element| element.attribute("id").value})
     end
 
+    def test_order_consistency
+      doc = REXML::Document.new('<a><b><c><d id="1"><d id="2"/></d></c></b></a>')
+      assert_equal('a', REXML::XPath.first(doc, '//d/ancestor::*').name)
+      assert_equal('a', REXML::XPath.first(doc, '//d[@id="2"]/ancestor::*').name)
+      assert_equal(%w[a b c d], REXML::XPath.match(doc, '//d/ancestor::*').map(&:name))
+      assert_equal(%w[a b c d], REXML::XPath.match(doc, '//d[@id="2"]/ancestor::*').map(&:name))
+
+      assert_equal('a', REXML::XPath.first(doc, '//d/ancestor-or-self::*').name)
+      assert_equal('a', REXML::XPath.first(doc, '//d[@id="2"]/ancestor-or-self::*').name)
+      assert_equal(%w[a b c d d], REXML::XPath.match(doc, '//d/ancestor-or-self::*').map(&:name))
+      assert_equal(%w[a b c d d], REXML::XPath.match(doc, '//d[@id="2"]/ancestor-or-self::*').map(&:name))
+
+      doc = REXML::Document.new('<a><b/><c/><d id="1"/><d id="2"/></a>')
+      assert_equal('b', REXML::XPath.first(doc, '//d/preceding::*').name)
+      assert_equal('b', REXML::XPath.first(doc, '//d[@id="2"]/preceding::*').name)
+      assert_equal(%w[b c d], REXML::XPath.match(doc, '//d/preceding::*').map(&:name))
+      assert_equal(%w[b c d], REXML::XPath.match(doc, '//d[@id="2"]/preceding::*').map(&:name))
+
+      assert_equal('b', REXML::XPath.first(doc, '//d/preceding-sibling::*').name)
+      assert_equal('b', REXML::XPath.first(doc, '//d[@id="2"]/preceding-sibling::*').name)
+      assert_equal(%w[b c d], REXML::XPath.match(doc, '//d/preceding-sibling::*').map(&:name))
+      assert_equal(%w[b c d], REXML::XPath.match(doc, '//d[@id="2"]/preceding-sibling::*').map(&:name))
+    end
+
     def test_descendant_or_self_ordering
       source = "<a>
       <b>