diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/data/strdata.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/data/strdata.c
index fd289df87..bfbb9389e 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/data/strdata.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/data/strdata.c
@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@ const char strval_states[64] =
 
 
 const char e_argcount[]		= "%s: function has wrong number of arguments";
-const char e_badnum[]		= "%s: bad number";
 const char e_moretokens[]	= "%s: more tokens expected";
 const char e_paren[]		= "%s: unbalanced parenthesis";
 const char e_badcolon[]		= "%s: invalid use of :";
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/streval.h b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/streval.h
index a62cc6b9f..d9ef8671f 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/streval.h
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/streval.h
@@ -178,7 +178,6 @@ extern const char		strval_states[64];
 extern const char		e_moretokens[];
 extern const char		e_argcount[];
 extern const char		e_paren[];
-extern const char		e_badnum[];
 extern const char		e_badcolon[];
 extern const char		e_recursive[];
 extern const char		e_divzero[];
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/streval.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/streval.c
index 98e449ec9..4d8e97876 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/streval.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/streval.c
@@ -664,7 +664,7 @@ again:
 				lvalue.flag = 0;
 			stakpush(vp,lvalue.flag,short);
 			if(vp->nextchr==0)
-				ERROR(vp,e_badnum);
+				ERROR(vp,e_number);
 			if(!(strval_precedence[op]&SEQPOINT))
 				lvalue.value = 0;
 			invalid = 0;