diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 487c048eb..2a8e8024b 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -3,6 +3,15 @@ For full details, see the git log at: https://github.com/ksh93/ksh
 
 Any uppercase BUG_* names are modernish shell bug IDs.
 
+2021-05-05:
+
+- Fixed: a preceding variable assignment like foo=bar in 'foo=bar command'
+  (with no command arguments after 'command') incorrectly survived the
+  'command' regular built-in command invocation.
+
+- Fixed: 'command -p some_utility' intermittently failed to find the utility
+  under certain conditions due to a memory corruption issue.
+
 2021-05-03:
 
 - Subshells (even if non-forked) now keep a properly separated state of the
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/bltins/whence.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/bltins/whence.c
index 5bf898bdb..94d7ae4c3 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/bltins/whence.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/bltins/whence.c
@@ -85,20 +85,22 @@ int	b_command(register int argc,char *argv[],Shbltin_t *context)
 		errormsg(SH_DICT,ERROR_usage(2), "%s", opt_info.arg);
 		UNREACHABLE();
 	}
+	argv += opt_info.index;
 	if(argc==0)
 	{
-		if(flags & (X_FLAG|V_FLAG))
-			return(0);	/* return no offset now; sh_exec() will treat command -v/-V as normal builtin */
+		if((flags & (X_FLAG|V_FLAG)) || !*argv)
+			return(0);	/* return no offset now; sh_exec() will treat command -v/-V/(null) as normal builtin */
 		if(flags & P_FLAG)
 			sh_onstate(SH_XARG);
 		return(opt_info.index); /* offset for sh_exec() to remove 'command' prefix + options */
 	}
-	argv += opt_info.index;
-	if(error_info.errors || !*argv)
+	if(error_info.errors)
 	{
 		errormsg(SH_DICT,ERROR_usage(2),"%s", optusage((char*)0));
 		UNREACHABLE();
 	}
+	if(!*argv)
+		return((flags & (X_FLAG|V_FLAG)) != 0 ? 2 : 0);
 	return(whence(shp,argv, flags));
 }
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
index c12566b2a..bc47b64fe 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 #define SH_RELEASE_FORK	"93u+m"		/* only change if you develop a new ksh93 fork */
 #define SH_RELEASE_SVER	"1.0.0-alpha"	/* semantic version number: https://semver.org */
-#define SH_RELEASE_DATE	"2021-05-03"	/* must be in this format for $((.sh.version)) */
+#define SH_RELEASE_DATE	"2021-05-05"	/* must be in this format for $((.sh.version)) */
 #define SH_RELEASE_CPYR	"(c) 2020-2021 Contributors to ksh " SH_RELEASE_FORK
 
 /* Scripts sometimes field-split ${.sh.version}, so don't change amount of whitespace. */
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/path.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/path.c
index 312b812db..eb18d8cf8 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/path.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/path.c
@@ -431,8 +431,12 @@ Pathcomp_t *path_nextcomp(Shell_t *shp,register Pathcomp_t *pp, const char *name
 
 static Pathcomp_t* defpath_init(Shell_t *shp)
 {
-	if(!std_path && !(std_path=astconf("PATH",NIL(char*),NIL(char*))))
-		abort();
+	if(!std_path)
+	{
+		if(!(std_path = astconf("PATH",NIL(char*),NIL(char*))))
+			abort();
+		std_path = sh_strdup(std_path);	/* the value returned by astconf() is short-lived */
+	}
 	Pathcomp_t *pp = (void*)path_addpath(shp,(Pathcomp_t*)0,(std_path),PATH_PATH);
 	return(pp);
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/builtins.sh b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/builtins.sh
index 0b9cc64db..f78bb001c 100755
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/builtins.sh
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/builtins.sh
@@ -768,8 +768,24 @@ printf '\\\000' | read -r -d ''
 
 # ======
 # BUG_CMDSPASGN: Preceding a special builtin with 'command' should disable its special properties.
-foo=BUG command eval ':'
-[[ $foo == BUG ]] && err_exit "'command' fails to disable the special properties of special builtins"
+# Test that assignments preceding 'command' are local.
+command -p ls
+for arg in '' -v -V -p -x
+do
+	for cmd in '' : true ls eval 'eval :' 'eval true' 'eval ls'
+	do
+		[[ $arg == -x ]] && ! command -xv "${cmd% *}" >/dev/null && continue
+		unset foo
+		eval "foo=BUG command $arg $cmd" >/dev/null 2>&1
+		got=$?
+		case $arg,$cmd in
+		-v, | -V, )	exp=2 ;;
+		*)		exp=0 ;;
+		esac
+		[[ $got == "$exp" ]] || err_exit "exit status of 'command $arg $cmd' is $got, expected $exp"
+		[[ -v foo ]] && err_exit "preceding assignment survives 'command $arg $cmd'"
+	done
+done
 
 # Regression that occurred after fixing the bug above: the += operator didn't work correctly.
 # https://www.mail-archive.com/ast-users@lists.research.att.com/msg00369.html