diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/SimpleJpaQuery.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/SimpleJpaQuery.java
index ef2b7b816..0ba422464 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/SimpleJpaQuery.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/SimpleJpaQuery.java
@@ -65,7 +65,13 @@ final class SimpleJpaQuery extends AbstractJpaQuery {
 
 		// Try to create a Query object already to fail fast
 		if (!method.isNativeQuery()) {
-			em.createQuery(queryString);
+			try {
+				em.createQuery(queryString);
+			} catch (RuntimeException e) {
+				// Needed as there's ambiguities in how an invalid query string shall be expressed by the persistence provider
+				// http://java.net/projects/jpa-spec/lists/jsr338-experts/archive/2012-07/message/17
+				throw e instanceof IllegalArgumentException ? e : new IllegalArgumentException(e);
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/JpaQueryLookupStrategyUnitTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/JpaQueryLookupStrategyUnitTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b7f11a137
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/JpaQueryLookupStrategyUnitTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2012 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.query;
+
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.*;
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import static org.mockito.Matchers.*;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
+
+import javax.persistence.EntityManager;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
+import org.mockito.runners.MockitoJUnitRunner;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.domain.sample.User;
+import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.Query;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.Repository;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.core.NamedQueries;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.core.RepositoryMetadata;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.core.support.DefaultRepositoryMetadata;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.query.QueryLookupStrategy;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.query.QueryLookupStrategy.Key;
+
+/**
+ * Unit tests for {@link JpaQueryLookupStrategy}.
+ * 
+ * @author Oliver Gierke
+ */
+@RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
+public class JpaQueryLookupStrategyUnitTests {
+
+	@Mock
+	EntityManager em;
+	@Mock
+	QueryExtractor extractor;
+	@Mock
+	NamedQueries namedQueries;
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-226
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void invalidAnnotatedQueryCausesException() throws Exception {
+
+		QueryLookupStrategy strategy = JpaQueryLookupStrategy.create(em, Key.CREATE_IF_NOT_FOUND, extractor);
+		Method method = UserRepository.class.getMethod("findByFoo", String.class);
+		RepositoryMetadata metadata = new DefaultRepositoryMetadata(UserRepository.class);
+
+		Throwable reference = new RuntimeException();
+		when(em.createQuery(anyString())).thenThrow(reference);
+
+		try {
+			strategy.resolveQuery(method, metadata, namedQueries);
+		} catch (Exception e) {
+			assertThat(e, is(instanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class)));
+			assertThat(e.getCause(), is(reference));
+		}
+	}
+
+	interface UserRepository extends Repository<User, Long> {
+
+		@Query("something absurd")
+		User findByFoo(String foo);
+	}
+}