diff --git a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_eval.hpp b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_eval.hpp
index f380c12b..2c3b12ad 100644
--- a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_eval.hpp
+++ b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_eval.hpp
@@ -948,7 +948,7 @@ namespace chaiscript {
             const auto &var_name = stmt.children[0]->text;
             target_ns[var_name] = Boxed_Value();
           } else {
-            stmt.eval(t_ss);
+            throw exception::eval_error("Only declarations (def, var, auto, global) are allowed inside namespace blocks");
           }
         };
 
diff --git a/unittests/compiled_tests.cpp b/unittests/compiled_tests.cpp
index a3e08159..0b76df61 100644
--- a/unittests/compiled_tests.cpp
+++ b/unittests/compiled_tests.cpp
@@ -1877,3 +1877,26 @@ TEST_CASE("Namespace block with var declarations") {
   CHECK(chai.eval<double>("config::pi") == Approx(3.14));
   CHECK(chai.eval<std::string>("config::name") == "hello");
 }
+
+TEST_CASE("Namespace block rejects non-declaration statements") {
+  chaiscript::ChaiScript_Basic chai(create_chaiscript_stdlib(), create_chaiscript_parser());
+
+  CHECK_THROWS_AS(chai.eval(R"(
+    namespace bad {
+      1 + 2
+    }
+  )"), chaiscript::exception::eval_error);
+
+  CHECK_THROWS_AS(chai.eval(R"(
+    namespace bad {
+      print("hello")
+    }
+  )"), chaiscript::exception::eval_error);
+
+  CHECK_THROWS_AS(chai.eval(R"(
+    var x = 5
+    namespace bad {
+      x = 10
+    }
+  )"), chaiscript::exception::eval_error);
+}