diff --git a/lang/eval.go b/lang/eval.go
index e3f470d81..b5aaa8588 100644
--- a/lang/eval.go
+++ b/lang/eval.go
@@ -154,6 +154,10 @@ func (s *Scope) EvalContext(refs []*addrs.Reference) (*hcl.EvalContext, tfdiags.
 }
 
 func (s *Scope) evalContext(refs []*addrs.Reference, selfAddr addrs.Referenceable) (*hcl.EvalContext, tfdiags.Diagnostics) {
+	if s == nil {
+		panic("attempt to construct EvalContext for nil Scope")
+	}
+
 	var diags tfdiags.Diagnostics
 	vals := make(map[string]cty.Value)
 	funcs := s.Functions()
diff --git a/terraform/context_validate_test.go b/terraform/context_validate_test.go
index 4801c7e0f..e1518ee1c 100644
--- a/terraform/context_validate_test.go
+++ b/terraform/context_validate_test.go
@@ -1315,3 +1315,70 @@ output "out" {
 		t.Fatalf("wrong error:\ngot:  %s\nwant: message containing %q", got, want)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestContext2Validate_invalidDependsOnResourceRef(t *testing.T) {
+	// This test is verifying that we raise an error if depends_on
+	// refers to something that doesn't exist in configuration.
+	m := testModuleInline(t, map[string]string{
+		"main.tf": `
+resource "test_instance" "bar" {
+  depends_on = [test_resource.nonexistant]
+}
+`,
+	})
+
+	p := testProvider("test")
+	ctx := testContext2(t, &ContextOpts{
+		Config: m,
+		ProviderResolver: providers.ResolverFixed(
+			map[string]providers.Factory{
+				"test": testProviderFuncFixed(p),
+			},
+		),
+	})
+
+	diags := ctx.Validate()
+	if !diags.HasErrors() {
+		t.Fatal("succeeded; want errors")
+	}
+	// Should get this error:
+	// Reference to undeclared module: No module call named "foo" is declared in the root module.
+	if got, want := diags.Err().Error(), "Reference to undeclared resource:"; strings.Index(got, want) == -1 {
+		t.Fatalf("wrong error:\ngot:  %s\nwant: message containing %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestContext2Validate_invalidResourceIgnoreChanges(t *testing.T) {
+	// This test is verifying that we raise an error if ignore_changes
+	// refers to something that can be statically detected as not conforming
+	// to the resource type schema.
+	m := testModuleInline(t, map[string]string{
+		"main.tf": `
+resource "test_instance" "bar" {
+  lifecycle {
+    ignore_changes = [does_not_exist_in_schema]
+  }
+}
+`,
+	})
+
+	p := testProvider("test")
+	ctx := testContext2(t, &ContextOpts{
+		Config: m,
+		ProviderResolver: providers.ResolverFixed(
+			map[string]providers.Factory{
+				"test": testProviderFuncFixed(p),
+			},
+		),
+	})
+
+	diags := ctx.Validate()
+	if !diags.HasErrors() {
+		t.Fatal("succeeded; want errors")
+	}
+	// Should get this error:
+	// Reference to undeclared module: No module call named "foo" is declared in the root module.
+	if got, want := diags.Err().Error(), `no argument, nested block, or exported attribute named "does_not_exist_in_schema"`; strings.Index(got, want) == -1 {
+		t.Fatalf("wrong error:\ngot:  %s\nwant: message containing %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/terraform/eval_validate.go b/terraform/eval_validate.go
index 3d79f7989..06db8da0c 100644
--- a/terraform/eval_validate.go
+++ b/terraform/eval_validate.go
@@ -366,6 +366,17 @@ func (n *EvalValidateResource) Eval(ctx EvalContext) (interface{}, error) {
 				Subject:  ref.Remaining.SourceRange().Ptr(),
 			})
 		}
+
+		// The ref must also refer to something that exists. To test that,
+		// we'll just eval it and count on the fact that our evaluator will
+		// detect references to non-existent objects.
+		if !diags.HasErrors() {
+			scope := ctx.EvaluationScope(nil, EvalDataForNoInstanceKey)
+			if scope != nil { // sometimes nil in tests, due to incomplete mocks
+				_, refDiags = scope.EvalReference(ref, cty.DynamicPseudoType)
+				diags = diags.Append(refDiags)
+			}
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Provider entry point varies depending on resource mode, because
@@ -390,6 +401,13 @@ func (n *EvalValidateResource) Eval(ctx EvalContext) (interface{}, error) {
 			return nil, diags.Err()
 		}
 
+		if cfg.Managed != nil { // can be nil only in tests with poorly-configured mocks
+			for _, traversal := range cfg.Managed.IgnoreChanges {
+				moreDiags := schema.StaticValidateTraversal(traversal)
+				diags = diags.Append(moreDiags)
+			}
+		}
+
 		req := providers.ValidateResourceTypeConfigRequest{
 			TypeName: cfg.Type,
 			Config:   configVal,