diff --git a/src/share/classes/java/util/HashMap.java b/src/share/classes/java/util/HashMap.java
index 1183952eb0653c43071470992ec9581e04a38cb5..454c18f9bd55254da93940b69a84460a54fe4b2a 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/java/util/HashMap.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/java/util/HashMap.java
@@ -1212,6 +1212,8 @@ public class HashMap<K,V> extends AbstractMap<K,V>
     @Override
     public V merge(K key, V value,
                    BiFunction<? super V, ? super V, ? extends V> remappingFunction) {
+        if (value == null)
+            throw new NullPointerException();
         if (remappingFunction == null)
             throw new NullPointerException();
         int hash = hash(key);
diff --git a/src/share/classes/java/util/Map.java b/src/share/classes/java/util/Map.java
index 5c3f954c2a0268977c934562e6ccb3213203ef18..de8bbce01a2b5ed58c9d7393ba93ea3730e2eb25 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/java/util/Map.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/java/util/Map.java
@@ -600,7 +600,7 @@ public interface Map<K,V> {
      * @implSpec
      * The default implementation is equivalent to, for this {@code map}:
      * <pre> {@code
-     * for ((Map.Entry<K, V> entry : map.entrySet())
+     * for (Map.Entry<K, V> entry : map.entrySet())
      *     action.accept(entry.getKey(), entry.getValue());
      * }</pre>
      *
@@ -640,7 +640,7 @@ public interface Map<K,V> {
      * @implSpec
      * <p>The default implementation is equivalent to, for this {@code map}:
      * <pre> {@code
-     * for ((Map.Entry<K, V> entry : map.entrySet())
+     * for (Map.Entry<K, V> entry : map.entrySet())
      *     entry.setValue(function.apply(entry.getKey(), entry.getValue()));
      * }</pre>
      *
@@ -1110,8 +1110,8 @@ public interface Map<K,V> {
 
     /**
      * If the specified key is not already associated with a value or is
-     * associated with null, associates it with the given value.
-     * Otherwise, replaces the value with the results of the given
+     * associated with null, associates it with the given non-null value.
+     * Otherwise, replaces the associated value with the results of the given
      * remapping function, or removes if the result is {@code null}. This
      * method may be of use when combining multiple mapped values for a key.
      * For example, to either create or append a {@code String msg} to a
@@ -1121,15 +1121,14 @@ public interface Map<K,V> {
      * map.merge(key, msg, String::concat)
      * }</pre>
      *
-     * <p>If the function returns {@code null}, the mapping is removed (or
-     * remains absent if initially absent).  If the function itself throws an
-     * (unchecked) exception, the exception is rethrown, and the current mapping
-     * is left unchanged.
+     * <p>If the function returns {@code null} the mapping is removed.  If the
+     * function itself throws an (unchecked) exception, the exception is
+     * rethrown, and the current mapping is left unchanged.
      *
      * @implSpec
-     * The default implementation is equivalent to performing the
-     * following steps for this {@code map}, then returning the
-     * current value or {@code null} if absent:
+     * The default implementation is equivalent to performing the following
+     * steps for this {@code map}, then returning the current value or
+     * {@code null} if absent:
      *
      * <pre> {@code
      * V oldValue = map.get(key);
@@ -1137,8 +1136,6 @@ public interface Map<K,V> {
      *              remappingFunction.apply(oldValue, value);
      * if (newValue == null)
      *     map.remove(key);
-     * else if (oldValue == null)
-     *     map.remove(key);
      * else
      *     map.put(key, newValue);
      * }</pre>
@@ -1151,42 +1148,36 @@ public interface Map<K,V> {
      * whether the function is applied once atomically only if the value is not
      * present.
      *
-     * @param key key with which the specified value is to be associated
-     * @param value the value to use if absent
+     * @param key key with which the resulting value is to be associated
+     * @param value the non-null value to be merged with the existing value
+     *        associated with the key or, if no existing value or a null value
+     *        is associated with the key, to be associated with the key
      * @param remappingFunction the function to recompute a value if present
-     * @return the new value associated with the specified key, or null if none
+     * @return the new value associated with the specified key, or null if no
+     *         value is associated with the key
      * @throws UnsupportedOperationException if the {@code put} operation
      *         is not supported by this map
      *         (<a href="Collection.html#optional-restrictions">optional</a>)
      * @throws ClassCastException if the class of the specified key or value
      *         prevents it from being stored in this map
      *         (<a href="Collection.html#optional-restrictions">optional</a>)
-     * @throws NullPointerException if the specified key is null and
-     *         this map does not support null keys, or the remappingFunction
-     *         is null
+     * @throws NullPointerException if the specified key is null and this map
+     *         does not support null keys or the value or remappingFunction is
+     *         null
      * @since 1.8
      */
     default V merge(K key, V value,
             BiFunction<? super V, ? super V, ? extends V> remappingFunction) {
         Objects.requireNonNull(remappingFunction);
+        Objects.requireNonNull(value);
         V oldValue = get(key);
-        if (oldValue != null) {
-            V newValue = remappingFunction.apply(oldValue, value);
-            if (newValue != null) {
-                put(key, newValue);
-                return newValue;
-            } else {
-                remove(key);
-                return null;
-            }
+        V newValue = (oldValue == null) ? value :
+                   remappingFunction.apply(oldValue, value);
+        if(newValue == null) {
+            remove(key);
         } else {
-            if (value == null) {
-                remove(key);
-                return null;
-            } else {
-                put(key, value);
-                return value;
-            }
+            put(key, newValue);
         }
+        return newValue;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/share/classes/java/util/concurrent/ConcurrentMap.java b/src/share/classes/java/util/concurrent/ConcurrentMap.java
index 3cb1fe7ea8f50eaa45e1d3b0b8af69897f470e5c..61cda84d93456e673116f6955c1efeed691d7c7e 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/java/util/concurrent/ConcurrentMap.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/java/util/concurrent/ConcurrentMap.java
@@ -463,9 +463,9 @@ public interface ConcurrentMap<K, V> extends Map<K, V> {
      * {@inheritDoc}
      *
      * @implSpec
-     * The default implementation is equivalent to performing the
-     * following steps for this {@code map}, then returning the
-     * current value or {@code null} if absent:
+     * The default implementation is equivalent to performing the following
+     * steps for this {@code map}, then returning the current value or
+     * {@code null} if absent:
      *
      * <pre> {@code
      * V oldValue = map.get(key);
@@ -473,8 +473,6 @@ public interface ConcurrentMap<K, V> extends Map<K, V> {
      *              remappingFunction.apply(oldValue, value);
      * if (newValue == null)
      *     map.remove(key);
-     * else if (oldValue == null)
-     *     map.remove(key);
      * else
      *     map.put(key, newValue);
      * }</pre>
diff --git a/test/java/util/Map/Defaults.java b/test/java/util/Map/Defaults.java
index 46a49a63a517f7b5438bd3019ebfe66a9c081c13..4702601f6f92503288acd975e1bb92603b768e41 100644
--- a/test/java/util/Map/Defaults.java
+++ b/test/java/util/Map/Defaults.java
@@ -741,7 +741,6 @@ public class Defaults {
         Collection<Object[]> cases = new ArrayList<>();
 
         cases.addAll(makeMergeTestCases());
-        cases.addAll(makeMergeNullValueTestCases());
 
         return cases.iterator();
     }
@@ -764,32 +763,6 @@ public class Defaults {
         return cases;
     }
 
-    static Collection<Object[]> makeMergeNullValueTestCases() {
-        Collection<Object[]> cases = new ArrayList<>();
-
-        for( Object[] mapParams : makeAllRWMapsWithNulls() ) {
-            cases.add(new Object[] { mapParams[0], mapParams[1], Merging.Value.OLDVALUE, Merging.Value.NULL, Merging.Merger.NULL, Merging.Value.ABSENT, Merging.Value.NULL });
-        }
-
-        for( Object[] mapParams : makeAllRWMapsWithNulls() ) {
-            cases.add(new Object[] { mapParams[0], mapParams[1], Merging.Value.OLDVALUE, Merging.Value.NULL, Merging.Merger.RESULT, Merging.Value.RESULT, Merging.Value.RESULT });
-        }
-
-        for( Object[] mapParams : makeAllRWMapsWithNulls() ) {
-            cases.add(new Object[] { mapParams[0], mapParams[1], Merging.Value.ABSENT, Merging.Value.NULL, Merging.Merger.UNUSED, Merging.Value.ABSENT, Merging.Value.NULL });
-        }
-
-        for( Object[] mapParams : makeAllRWMapsWithNulls() ) {
-            cases.add(new Object[] { mapParams[0], mapParams[1], Merging.Value.NULL, Merging.Value.NULL, Merging.Merger.UNUSED, Merging.Value.ABSENT, Merging.Value.NULL });
-        }
-
-        for( Object[] mapParams : makeAllRWMapsWithNulls() ) {
-            cases.add(new Object[] { mapParams[0], mapParams[1], Merging.Value.NULL, Merging.Value.NEWVALUE, Merging.Merger.UNUSED, Merging.Value.NEWVALUE, Merging.Value.NEWVALUE });
-        }
-
-        return cases;
-    }
-
     public interface Thrower<T extends Throwable> {
 
         public void run() throws T;