diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/RebaseCommandTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/RebaseCommandTest.java
index 40eb49404..c5829ec96 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/RebaseCommandTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/api/RebaseCommandTest.java
@@ -2347,7 +2347,7 @@ public String modifyCommitMessage(String commit) {
 						assertFalse(messageFixupFile.exists());
 						assertTrue(messageSquashFile.exists());
 						assertEquals(
-								"# This is a combination of 2 commits.\n# This is the 2nd commit message:\nupdated file1 on master\nnew line\n# The first commit's message is:\nAdd file2\nnew line",
+								"# This is a combination of 2 commits.\n# The first commit's message is:\nAdd file2\nnew line\n# This is the 2nd commit message:\nupdated file1 on master\nnew line",
 								commit);
 
 						try {
@@ -2426,7 +2426,7 @@ public String modifyCommitMessage(String commit) {
 						assertFalse(messageFixupFile.exists());
 						assertTrue(messageSquashFile.exists());
 						assertEquals(
-								"# This is a combination of 3 commits.\n# This is the 3rd commit message:\nupdated file1 on master\nnew line\n# This is the 2nd commit message:\nAdd file2\nnew line\n# The first commit's message is:\nAdd file1\nnew line",
+								"# This is a combination of 3 commits.\n# The first commit's message is:\nAdd file1\nnew line\n# This is the 2nd commit message:\nAdd file2\nnew line\n# This is the 3rd commit message:\nupdated file1 on master\nnew line",
 								commit);
 
 						try {
@@ -2441,7 +2441,7 @@ public String modifyCommitMessage(String commit) {
 							fail(t.getMessage());
 						}
 
-						return "# This is a combination of 3 commits.\n# This is the 3rd commit message:\nupdated file1 on master\nnew line\n# This is the 2nd commit message:\nAdd file2\nnew line\n# The first commit's message is:\nAdd file1\nnew line";
+						return "# This is a combination of 3 commits.\n# The first commit's message is:\nAdd file1\nnew line\n# This is the 2nd commit message:\nAdd file2\nnew line\n# This is the 3rd commit message:\nupdated file1 on master\nnew line";
 					}
 				}).call();
 
@@ -2454,7 +2454,7 @@ public String modifyCommitMessage(String commit) {
 		ObjectId head2Id = db.resolve(Constants.HEAD + "^1");
 		RevCommit head1Commit = walk.parseCommit(head2Id);
 		assertEquals(
-				"updated file1 on master\nnew line\nAdd file2\nnew line\nAdd file1\nnew line",
+				"Add file1\nnew line\nAdd file2\nnew line\nupdated file1 on master\nnew line",
 				head1Commit.getFullMessage());
 	}
 
@@ -2508,7 +2508,7 @@ public String modifyCommitMessage(String commit) {
 						assertFalse(messageFixupFile.exists());
 						assertTrue(messageSquashFile.exists());
 						assertEquals(
-								"# This is a combination of 3 commits.\n# This is the 3rd commit message:\nupdated file1 on master\nnew line\n# The 2nd commit message will be skipped:\n# Add file2\n# new line\n# The first commit's message is:\nAdd file1\nnew line",
+								"# This is a combination of 3 commits.\n# The first commit's message is:\nAdd file1\nnew line\n# The 2nd commit message will be skipped:\n# Add file2\n# new line\n# This is the 3rd commit message:\nupdated file1 on master\nnew line",
 								commit);
 
 						try {
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/RebaseCommand.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/RebaseCommand.java
index 330902c84..3b8491742 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/RebaseCommand.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/RebaseCommand.java
@@ -621,6 +621,9 @@ private static String composeSquashMessage(boolean isSquash,
 		sb.setLength(0);
 		sb.append("# This is a combination of ").append(count)
 				.append(" commits.\n");
+		// Add the previous message without header (i.e first line)
+		sb.append(currSquashMessage.substring(currSquashMessage.indexOf("\n") + 1));
+		sb.append("\n");
 		if (isSquash) {
 			sb.append("# This is the ").append(count).append(ordinal)
 					.append(" commit message:\n");
@@ -631,9 +634,6 @@ private static String composeSquashMessage(boolean isSquash,
 			sb.append(commitToPick.getFullMessage().replaceAll("([\n\r])",
 					"$1# "));
 		}
-		// Add the previous message without header (i.e first line)
-		sb.append("\n");
-		sb.append(currSquashMessage.substring(currSquashMessage.indexOf("\n") + 1));
 		return sb.toString();
 	}