diff --git a/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/JsonPath.java b/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/JsonPath.java
index bcbd3c8b..3c735db3 100644
--- a/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/JsonPath.java
+++ b/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/JsonPath.java
@@ -237,11 +237,31 @@ public <T> T map(Object jsonObject, MapFunction mapFunction, Configuration confi
         notNull(jsonObject, "json can not be null");
         notNull(configuration, "configuration can not be null");
         notNull(mapFunction, "mapFunction can not be null");
-        EvaluationContext evaluationContext = path.evaluate(jsonObject, jsonObject, configuration, true);
-        for (PathRef updateOperation : evaluationContext.updateOperations()) {
-            updateOperation.convert(mapFunction, configuration);
+        boolean optAsPathList = configuration.containsOption(AS_PATH_LIST);
+        boolean optAlwaysReturnList = configuration.containsOption(Option.ALWAYS_RETURN_LIST);
+        boolean optSuppressExceptions = configuration.containsOption(Option.SUPPRESS_EXCEPTIONS);
+        try {
+            EvaluationContext evaluationContext = path.evaluate(jsonObject, jsonObject, configuration, true);
+            for (PathRef updateOperation : evaluationContext.updateOperations()) {
+                updateOperation.convert(mapFunction, configuration);
+            }
+            return resultByConfiguration(jsonObject, configuration, evaluationContext);
+        }catch (RuntimeException e) {
+            if (!optSuppressExceptions) {
+                throw e;
+            } else {
+                if (optAsPathList) {
+                    return (T) configuration.jsonProvider().createArray();
+                } else {
+                    if (optAlwaysReturnList) {
+                        return (T) configuration.jsonProvider().createArray();
+                    } else {
+                        return (T) (path.isDefinite() ? null : configuration.jsonProvider().createArray());
+                    }
+                }
+            }
         }
-        return resultByConfiguration(jsonObject, configuration, evaluationContext);
+
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/internal/JsonContext.java b/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/internal/JsonContext.java
index 73147334..9d8d8ee4 100644
--- a/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/internal/JsonContext.java
+++ b/json-path/src/main/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/internal/JsonContext.java
@@ -146,8 +146,8 @@ public DocumentContext map(String path, MapFunction mapFunction, Predicate... fi
 
     @Override
     public DocumentContext map(JsonPath path, MapFunction mapFunction) {
-        path.map(json, mapFunction, configuration);
-        return this;
+        Object obj = path.map(json, mapFunction, configuration);
+        return obj==null ? null:this;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/json-path/src/test/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/internal/function/Issue612.java b/json-path/src/test/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/internal/function/Issue612.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2118a812
--- /dev/null
+++ b/json-path/src/test/java/com/jayway/jsonpath/internal/function/Issue612.java
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package com.jayway.jsonpath.internal.function;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.JsonProcessingException;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.node.ArrayNode;
+import com.jayway.jsonpath.*;
+import com.jayway.jsonpath.spi.json.JacksonJsonNodeJsonProvider;
+import com.jayway.jsonpath.spi.mapper.JacksonMappingProvider;
+import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import static com.jayway.jsonpath.JsonPath.using;
+import static com.jayway.jsonpath.internal.path.PathCompiler.fail;
+
+public class Issue612 {
+    @Test
+    public void test() {
+        Configuration config = Configuration.builder()
+                .options(Option.SUPPRESS_EXCEPTIONS)
+                .build();
+        String json = "{\"1\":{\"2\":null}}";
+        DocumentContext documentContext = JsonPath.using(config).parse(json);
+        JsonPath query = JsonPath.compile("$.1.2.a.b.c");
+        Assert.assertNull(documentContext.read(query));
+        Assert.assertNull(documentContext.map(query, (object, configuration) -> object));
+    }
+    @Test(expected = Exception.class)
+    public void test2() {
+        Configuration config = Configuration.builder()
+                .build();
+        String json = "{\"1\":{\"2\":null}}";
+        DocumentContext documentContext = JsonPath.using(config).parse(json);
+        JsonPath query = JsonPath.compile("$.1.2.a.b.c");
+        documentContext.map(query, (object, configuration) -> object);
+    }
+}