diff --git a/implementation/src/main/java/io/smallrye/config/ExpressionConfigSourceInterceptor.java b/implementation/src/main/java/io/smallrye/config/ExpressionConfigSourceInterceptor.java
index 1d495f557..e6828c2ce 100644
--- a/implementation/src/main/java/io/smallrye/config/ExpressionConfigSourceInterceptor.java
+++ b/implementation/src/main/java/io/smallrye/config/ExpressionConfigSourceInterceptor.java
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ private ConfigValue getValue(final ConfigSourceInterceptorContext context, final
                 stringBuilder.append(resolve.getValue());
             } else if (resolveContext.hasDefault()) {
                 resolveContext.expandDefault();
+            } else {
+                throw ConfigMessages.msg.expandingElementNotFound(resolveContext.getKey(), configValue.getName());
             }
         });
 
diff --git a/implementation/src/main/java/io/smallrye/config/ProfileConfigSourceInterceptor.java b/implementation/src/main/java/io/smallrye/config/ProfileConfigSourceInterceptor.java
index 4d00fa7d2..920c238f8 100644
--- a/implementation/src/main/java/io/smallrye/config/ProfileConfigSourceInterceptor.java
+++ b/implementation/src/main/java/io/smallrye/config/ProfileConfigSourceInterceptor.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.NoSuchElementException;
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.Set;
 
@@ -48,12 +49,15 @@ public ConfigValue getValue(final ConfigSourceInterceptorContext context, final
             final String normalizeName = normalizeName(name);
             final ConfigValue profileValue = context.proceed("%" + profile + "." + normalizeName);
             if (profileValue != null) {
-                final ConfigValue originalValue = context.proceed(normalizeName);
-                if (originalValue != null && CONFIG_SOURCE_COMPARATOR.compare(profileValue, originalValue) > 0) {
-                    return originalValue;
-                } else {
-                    return profileValue.withName(normalizeName);
+                try {
+                    final ConfigValue originalValue = context.proceed(normalizeName);
+                    if (originalValue != null && CONFIG_SOURCE_COMPARATOR.compare(profileValue, originalValue) > 0) {
+                        return originalValue;
+                    }
+                } catch (final NoSuchElementException e) {
+                    // We couldn't find the main property so we fallback to the profile property because it exists.
                 }
+                return profileValue.withName(normalizeName);
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/implementation/src/test/java/io/smallrye/config/ExpressionConfigSourceInterceptorTest.java b/implementation/src/test/java/io/smallrye/config/ExpressionConfigSourceInterceptorTest.java
index c06668465..6f1f06336 100644
--- a/implementation/src/test/java/io/smallrye/config/ExpressionConfigSourceInterceptorTest.java
+++ b/implementation/src/test/java/io/smallrye/config/ExpressionConfigSourceInterceptorTest.java
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public void noExpression() {
 
         final NoSuchElementException exception = assertThrows(NoSuchElementException.class,
                 () -> config.getValue("expression", String.class));
-        assertEquals("SRCFG00014: Property expression not found", exception.getMessage());
+        assertEquals("SRCFG00011: Could not expand value my.prop in property expression", exception.getMessage());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public void noExpressionComposed() {
 
         final NoSuchElementException exception = assertThrows(NoSuchElementException.class,
                 () -> config.getValue("expression", String.class));
-        assertEquals("SRCFG00014: Property expression not found", exception.getMessage());
+        assertEquals("SRCFG00011: Could not expand value compose in property expression", exception.getMessage());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -118,6 +118,14 @@ public void escape() {
                                 .getRawValue("camel.expression"));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void expressionMissing() {
+        final SmallRyeConfig config = buildConfig("my.prop", "${expression}", "my.prop.partial", "${expression}partial");
+
+        assertThrows(Exception.class, () -> config.getValue("my.prop", String.class));
+        assertThrows(Exception.class, () -> config.getValue("my.prop.partial", String.class));
+    }
+
     private static SmallRyeConfig buildConfig(String... keyValues) {
         return new SmallRyeConfigBuilder()
                 .addDefaultSources()
diff --git a/implementation/src/test/java/io/smallrye/config/ProfileConfigSourceInterceptorTest.java b/implementation/src/test/java/io/smallrye/config/ProfileConfigSourceInterceptorTest.java
index 2b09dd587..1b810eec3 100644
--- a/implementation/src/test/java/io/smallrye/config/ProfileConfigSourceInterceptorTest.java
+++ b/implementation/src/test/java/io/smallrye/config/ProfileConfigSourceInterceptorTest.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package io.smallrye.config;
 
 import static io.smallrye.config.ProfileConfigSourceInterceptor.SMALLRYE_PROFILE;
+import static java.util.Collections.singletonMap;
 import static java.util.stream.Collectors.toList;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
@@ -48,6 +49,19 @@ public void expressions() {
         assertEquals("1", config.getValue("my.prop", String.class));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void expressionsOrdinals() {
+        final SmallRyeConfig config = new SmallRyeConfigBuilder()
+                .withSources(new PropertiesConfigSource(singletonMap("my.prop", "1"), "test", 100))
+                .withSources(new PropertiesConfigSource(singletonMap("%prof.my.prop", "${my.prop}"), "test", 200))
+                .withInterceptors(
+                        new ProfileConfigSourceInterceptor("prof"),
+                        new ExpressionConfigSourceInterceptor())
+                .build();
+
+        assertEquals("1", config.getValue("my.prop", String.class));
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void profileExpressions() {
         final Config config = buildConfig("my.prop", "1",