diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index 5210e49376d4..bdae585242c7 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-multierror"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/go-version"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/hil"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/hil/ast"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/helper/hilmapstructure"
@@ -254,26 +253,7 @@ func (c *Config) Validate() error {
 
 	// Validate the Terraform config
 	if tf := c.Terraform; tf != nil {
-		if raw := tf.RequiredVersion; raw != "" {
-			// Check that the value has no interpolations
-			rc, err := NewRawConfig(map[string]interface{}{
-				"root": raw,
-			})
-			if err != nil {
-				errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf(
-					"terraform.required_version: %s", err))
-			} else if len(rc.Interpolations) > 0 {
-				errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf(
-					"terraform.required_version: cannot contain interpolations"))
-			} else {
-				// Check it is valid
-				_, err := version.NewConstraint(raw)
-				if err != nil {
-					errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf(
-						"terraform.required_version: invalid syntax: %s", err))
-				}
-			}
-		}
+		errs = append(errs, c.Terraform.Validate()...)
 	}
 
 	vars := c.InterpolatedVariables()
diff --git a/config/config_terraform.go b/config/config_terraform.go
index 272fa62c8e00..952d59cc4e02 100644
--- a/config/config_terraform.go
+++ b/config/config_terraform.go
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 package config
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/hashicorp/go-version"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/hashstructure"
 )
 
@@ -11,6 +15,38 @@ type Terraform struct {
 	Backend         *Backend // See Backend struct docs
 }
 
+// Validate performs the validation for just the Terraform configuration.
+func (t *Terraform) Validate() []error {
+	var errs []error
+
+	if raw := t.RequiredVersion; raw != "" {
+		// Check that the value has no interpolations
+		rc, err := NewRawConfig(map[string]interface{}{
+			"root": raw,
+		})
+		if err != nil {
+			errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf(
+				"terraform.required_version: %s", err))
+		} else if len(rc.Interpolations) > 0 {
+			errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf(
+				"terraform.required_version: cannot contain interpolations"))
+		} else {
+			// Check it is valid
+			_, err := version.NewConstraint(raw)
+			if err != nil {
+				errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf(
+					"terraform.required_version: invalid syntax: %s", err))
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if t.Backend != nil {
+		errs = append(errs, t.Backend.Validate()...)
+	}
+
+	return errs
+}
+
 // Backend is the configuration for the "backend" to use with Terraform.
 // A backend is responsible for all major behavior of Terraform's core.
 // The abstraction layer above the core (the "backend") allows for behavior
@@ -46,3 +82,24 @@ func (b *Backend) Rehash() uint64 {
 
 	return code
 }
+
+func (b *Backend) Validate() []error {
+	if len(b.RawConfig.Interpolations) > 0 {
+		return []error{fmt.Errorf(strings.TrimSpace(errBackendInterpolations))}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+const errBackendInterpolations = `
+terraform.backend: configuration cannot contain interpolations
+
+The backend configuration is loaded by Terraform extremely early, before
+the core of Terraform can be initialized. This is necessary because the backend
+dictates the behavior of that core. The core is what handles interpolation
+processing. Because of this, interpolations cannot be used in backend
+configuration.
+
+If you'd like to parameterize backend configuration, we recommend using
+partial configuration with the "-backend-config" flag to "terraform init".
+`
diff --git a/config/config_test.go b/config/config_test.go
index 1c7b36e04e7c..2ef68dae979d 100644
--- a/config/config_test.go
+++ b/config/config_test.go
@@ -194,6 +194,13 @@ func TestConfigValidate_table(t *testing.T) {
 			false,
 			"",
 		},
+
+		{
+			"backend config with interpolations",
+			"validate-backend-interpolate",
+			true,
+			"cannot contain interp",
+		},
 	}
 
 	for i, tc := range cases {
diff --git a/config/test-fixtures/validate-backend-interpolate/main.tf b/config/test-fixtures/validate-backend-interpolate/main.tf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..dd4fbdb7b413
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/test-fixtures/validate-backend-interpolate/main.tf
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+terraform {
+  backend "foo" {
+    key = "${var.var}"
+  }
+}