diff --git a/src/jq_test.c b/src/jq_test.c
index 0229254575..858b99d11a 100644
--- a/src/jq_test.c
+++ b/src/jq_test.c
@@ -586,5 +586,11 @@ static void jv_test() {
      jv other = jv_string_append_buf(jv_borrow(string), "test", 4);
      assert(jv_equal(string, jv_string("value")));
      assert(jv_equal(other, jv_string("valuetest")));
+
+     array = JV_ARRAY(jv_string("test"));
+     jv array_out = jv_array_set(jv_borrow(array), 0, jv_string("value"));
+     assert(jv_equal(array, JV_ARRAY(jv_string("test"))));
+     assert(!jv_is_borrowed(array_out));
+     jv_free(array_out);
 }
 }
diff --git a/src/jv.c b/src/jv.c
index 9b268eace9..59d93f6dc6 100644
--- a/src/jv.c
+++ b/src/jv.c
@@ -867,7 +867,7 @@ static jv* jvp_array_write(jv* a, int i) {
     int j;
     for (j = 0; j < jvp_array_length(*a); j++) {
       new_array->elements[j] =
-        jv_unborrow(array->elements[j + jvp_array_offset(*a)]);
+        jv_copy(array->elements[j + jvp_array_offset(*a)]);
     }
     for (; j < new_length; j++) {
       new_array->elements[j] = JV_NULL;
@@ -990,6 +990,8 @@ jv jv_array_get(jv j, int idx) {
 jv jv_array_set(jv j, int idx, jv val) {
   assert(JVP_HAS_KIND(j, JV_KIND_ARRAY));
 
+  j = jv_return(j);
+
   if (idx < 0)
     idx = jvp_array_length(j) + idx;
   if (idx < 0) {